Chapter 16
“Yeah, I heard it's going down out there in them streets,” Styles said as him and Tone stepped outside and walked the yard. Styles was Tone's cell mate. Before he went in, he was doing some decent numbers on the streets, but due to a snitch, he found himself behind the wall.
“Damn! Shit popping off out there like that?” Tone asked.
“Yeah, I heard that nigga Ice-T tried to get your pops murdered, but niggas said your pops did some matrix shit and somehow got away,” Styles said, repeating what he was told.
“Word?”
“Yeah. Then I heard Maine bodied that Maxine chick in broad daylight.”
“Get the fuck outta here!” Tone said in disbelief. Since he had been locked up, nobody from the outside was keeping him up-to-date on what was going on out in the streets.
“Word. When the last time you spoke to them niggas?”
“It's been a minute,” Tone admitted, but he didn't stress it 'cause he knew his team was out taking care of business. And, besides, he would be going home shortly.
“You gon' have to get your ears back to the streets,” Styles told him. “Shit not no game out here. 'Cause when I go home, I'm climbing that ladder back to the top. I can't fuck with that being broke shit.”
“You ain't the only one.” Tone noticed a fight break out in the middle of the yard. He shook his head as he watched two inmates fight over a basketball game. “Dumb broke-ass niggas! I gotta hurry up and get the fuck up outta here.”
“Shit! You'll be outta here in no time. You only got eighteen months left.” Styles jumped up and grabbed the pull-up bar and began doing a set.
“Fuck that! I wanna go home now.” Tone was tired looking around and only seeing niggas.
“The key is, when you get out, to make sure you stay out.” Styles hopped off the bar.
“Yeah, you right,” Tone said, in deep thought.
Styles snapped his fingers to get Tone's attention. “Fuck you over there thinking about?”
“Thinking about Serena and a whole lot of other shit.”
“What's on your mind?”
“Mya had my son, and I still haven't seen him yet.” Tone exhaled.
“Have you wrote her or tried to get in contact with her?”
“I tried to call once,” Tone said, “but her punk-ass boyfriend didn't accept the call.”
“So she probably don't even know you tried to get in contact with her.”
“Fuck it!” Tone huffed. “I'm heading back in, so I can call my baby.” He walked off and headed inside.
Once inside Tone picked up the phone and dialed Serena's number. On the third ring, she picked up.
“Hey, babyyyyy,” she sang.
“Hey, baby. Where the fuck you at?” Tone was hearing mad noise in the background.
“I'm out here in Los Angeles. I had the house phone calls forwarded to my cell phone.”
“Oh. A'ight. What? You got a little homesick?”
“Nah. My father called me the other day and said he needed to talk to me about something, so we about to find out what's up.”
“You think he found out what you and your uncle been doing?”
“Nah,” Serena answered quickly. “I know my father, and if it was that, trust me, we would both know.” She chuckled.
“A'ight, cool. You just make sure you be careful out there.”
“You know I am, baby, and as soon as I get back, I'm coming to see you.” Serena smiled.
“Good. 'Cause right about now I need to see you,” Tone told her. “I'm going to give you the biggest hug ever.”
“Awww, baby! You in there missing me? That's so cute.”
“I can't wait to get up outta here. This shit is the worst.”
“You don't got much longer to go,” Serena said as she pulled up in front of her father's mansion. “Will you be able to call me later?”
“Definitely. Go handle your business,” Tone said. “Oh, hold up. I need you to do me a favor.”
“Anything.”
Serena slid out the rental car and walked up to the front of her father's house.
“If you can, can you try to get Mya to bring the baby up here to see me?”
“I got you, baby. As soon as I get back to New York, I'll get on it.”
“Thanks, baby. I love the shit outta you.”
“I love you too, daddy. Call me later.” Serena blew a kiss through the phone.
“I got you, baby.”
“Talk to you later.” Serena hung up her cell phone and rang the doorbell, and a short Spanish man answered the door, holding an AK.
“Hey, Jose.” Serena leaned in for a hug.
“Serena, what you doing here?” Jose said, shocked to see Serena standing in front of him.
“My father asked me to come out here and see him. So how you been?”
“You know,” Jose said, nodding toward his AK, “still making sure your father is safe.”
“Damn!” Serena said to herself. For as long as she could remember, Jose had been her father's personal bodyguard slash hit man.
“Your father is in his office. You remember where it's at, right?”
“Yeah, I remember where it's at.” Serena walked down the hallway toward the office and knocked lightly on the door.
“Come in!” Santiago yelled from behind his desk. The biggest smile appeared on his face when he saw his only child step into his office.
“Hey, Daddy,” Serena sang as she slid in her father's arms.
“Shit! I thought you got lost for a second,” Santiago joked. “How was your flight?”
“It was cool.” Serena sat down on the sofa that rested up against the wall. “So what's so important that I had to fly down here on such short notice?”
Santiago sat down behind his desk before he replied. “I need to talk to you about this new boyfriend you got.”
“What about him?” Serena asked.
“I heard he was black,” Santiago said, staring a hole through his daughter with his eyes.
“Yes, he is black, and?”
“What you mean,
and
?” Santiago frowned. “You know I don't approve of you being with a
moreno
.”
Serena sucked her teeth. “Well, that's why I didn't ask for your approval.”
“I taught you better than that.” Santiago shook his head. “Them blacks can't be trusted, and you know it.”
“You never even gave 'em a chance.”
“Give 'em a chance to do what? Snitch on me?” Santiago laughed. “Never you trust them if you want to”
“Well, I do trust him, and he's a nice guy. I can't wait for you to meet him.”
“I don't think you understand.” Santiago stood up.
“No. You don't understand that I'm grown now. And if I want to be with somebody, whether he's black or not, that's my business!” she yelled.
“You know what? You right. You're grown, and I can't tell you what to do.” He paused. “But let me tell you what I can do.” A smile spread across his face. “I can make you a promise.”
“What promise?” Serena asked curiously.
“I promise you that if anything ever happens to you 'cause of those animals you around, I promise I will kill every last one of them!”
“Why can't you just be happy for me? You always gotta try to find something negative about everything.”
“I am happy for you,” Santiago said, forcing a smile. “I'm just letting you know how I feel,” he said with a raised eyebrow.
“Whatever!” Serena shot to her feet and stormed out of her father's house, headed back to the airport.
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“Here you go,” Serena said, handing the cab driver a fifty-dollar bill. “Keep the change,” she said as she slid out the back of the cab.
As she walked up to her front door, she saw Malcolm standing on the steps in front of the door. “Hey, Malcolm. How's it going?”
“I been okay,” Malcolm said, flashing his rotten-tooth smile. “I was looking for my brother. Do you know when he'll be back in?”
“Your brother is in jail,” Serena told him. “He been in there for almost two years now.”
“For real?” Malcolm said, scratching his head.
“Yeah, it's been that long,” Serena said as she unlocked her front door. “You want something to eat or something?”
“If you don't mind.”
“A'ight. Have a seat, and I'll be back in a second. I gotta pee,” Serena said, jogging to the downstairs bathroom.
She returned to the living room a few minutes later, but she didn't see Malcolm. “Malcolm!” she called out. “Where you at?”
“I'm right here!” Malcolm said from behind her as he busted Serena over the head with a glass vase.
Serena hit the floor and immediately felt her warm blood running down the back of her neck.
“Where's the money at?” Malcolm barked. He kicked Serena in the face with his dirty-ass sneakers. He snatched Serena back up to her feet by her hair, and he swung with all his might and punched her in the face.
“Where's the money at, bitch?”
Serena quickly kneed Malcolm in his nuts and ran to the kitchen, where she grabbed a butcher's knife from off the rack. “Come on, muthafucka!” she said through a pair of busted lips, holding out the knife and inching toward the crackhead.
Once she got close enough, she jabbed Malcolm in the stomach with the knife, but before she could bring her arm back, Malcolm grabbed her wrist and quickly disarmed her. Then he flung his head forward full force and head-butted Serena in her face then hip-tossed her through the kitchen table.
Malcolm looked over and saw Serena's purse lying on the floor. He snatched it up and ran out the front door.
“Oh my God!” Serena cried as she lay on top of the broken glass.
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“Fuck is we going to Tone crib for if he in jail?” Harlem asked from the passenger seat.
“'Cause he asked me to check up on his girl every now and then.” Young Mike pulled into Tone's driveway and saw the front door wide open. Immediately he knew something was wrong.
“Why the fuck is the door wide open like that?” Harlem asked.
“We 'bout to find out,” Young Mike said as he slid out the whip, his .357 already drawn. He walked up to the front door with caution. “Anybody in here?” Young Mike yelled, inching his way inside the house, Harlem close on his heels.
Young Mike didn't see anything, but he heard what sounded like a woman crying.
When he turned the corner, he saw Serena lying in a pile of glass crying. “Oh shit!” Young Mike ran and knelt down by Serena's side.
“I'ma check the rest of the crib and make sure ain't nobody still up in here.” Harlem began searching the crib for a would-be attacker.
Young Mike quickly called an ambulance. “They on they way,” he said as he helped her out of all the broken glass. “Who did this shit to you?”
“Malcolm,” Serena said, wincing in pain.
“Who the fuck is Malcolm?”
Serena didn't even answer. She was in too much pain to hold a conversation.
“Ain't nobody in here but us.” Harlem stuck his gun back in his waistband.
Fifteen minutes later the ambulance arrived and escorted Serena to the hospital.
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Gruff pointed at the beautiful woman. “Is that the bitch right there?”
“Yeah, that's her,” the bouncer confirmed.
“A'ight. I'll be right back.” Gruff slid out the driver's seat, Tiger right on his heels. “Excuse me, miss,” Gruff called out.
Sparkle looked back and saw a man with a big-ass dog trying to get her attention. When she realized she didn't know the man, she kept on walking.
Where's my Mace?
She fumbled around in her purse looking for the pepper spray.
Seconds later Sparkle felt a hand grab her shoulder.
Gruff shoved his 9 mm into Sparkle's back. “Bitch, scream and I'll blow your fuckin' titty off!”
“What do you want from me?” Sparkle asked.
“Shut the fuck up!” Gruff roughly escorted Sparkle back to his car. He opened up the trunk, forced her inside then slammed the trunk shut. Then he got back in the driver's seat and pulled off.