The Score (12 page)

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I snapped out of my thoughts of the past. As I finally crossed the doorsill of our bedroom with my suitcase and the money from our scam in tow, I held back tears. I didn't know if they were tears from thinking about the hurts of the past or tears of joy about what was coming for my future, but I was crying like I was at someone's funeral.

It wasn't easy leaving Matt even now but I was ready to show him that I was strong enough to break free of his bullshit after all of these years. I think I held my breath until I finally made it out of our condo, out of the building, and safely to my car. I let out a long windstorm of breath as I climbed into the driver's seat and locked all of the doors. I looked up into my rearview mirror to make sure I had really gotten away without Matt knowing a thing. There was not a soul in that parking lot at that time of morning but me. That's when it finally sank it. I had done it! I was the last one standing!

“Owww!” I howled and slammed my fists against my steering wheel. “You fucking did it, Lauren! You fucking got your revenge and all of the fucking money, too! Fuck 'em. They can't touch you! You are that bitch! Owww!Catchmeifyoucan, Matthew, and tell your new bitch Yancy Yance to eat shit and die!” I was talking shit like Matt could somehow telepathically hear me.

I let out a raucous, maniacal laugh and let a wide toothy grin spread across my mouth. I turned on some music and I swerved my Benz out of the building's parking garage. I swiped my key card one last time and then tossed that shit out of the window.

“Won't be needing you ever again,” I said as I heard the key card hit the ground.

Once I was out on the street, I mashed my foot on the gas pedal and let my car zoom through the streets. I can't even explain the sense of freedom I felt as I got farther and farther away from home. I was on my way. I only had one stop to make before I put the rest of my plan into motion.

I was making the first part of my getaway by car. Flying would have been faster, but there were two drawbacks. It's easy to track someone's air travel and I knew I couldn't carry that much cash to an airport because the limit you could travel with was ten thousand dollars. Those TSA fuckers had dogs that could sniff out if you had more. I couldn't put the money in the bank because of course it wasn't mine. I was going to have to be smart about stashing this much cash. I was getting as far away from this hellhole as possible.

“Oh, I won't be needing you anymore either. I know you can be tracked with that Find My iPhone bullshit. Not fucking with you, iPhone,” I said to my phone, and then I tossed that shit out of the window too. It shattered into several pieces as it hit the street. Each time I threw away an essential piece of my life it was like shedding dead weight and felt oh so good. Whatever contacts I had in the phone were all considered a part of my past now. I would get in touch with my sister once I got settled. She and I hadn't been in contact for years, but I still needed to be able to touch bases with her from time to time. Just like that phone, I was leaving all the broken pieces of my past life behind. At least that was my plan. I never anticipated that stealing that money wasn't going to be the best thing that had ever happened to me like I thought. I could've never guessed that while I drove off into what I thought would be a new and improved life, I would actually be putting my life in serious danger. After all, Yancy had said she'd found that Hermès wallet and swore that no one could ever trace it back to her, Matt, or me. I guess just like with everything else, Yancy had fucking lied.

YANCY

F
uck, yeah, I'd lied. Got no damn reason to tell Lauren the truth. Her snobby ass needed to be taught a lesson and I was just the bitch to do the teaching.

Lauren thinks she saved my ass, but I was used to the ass kicking my pimp handed down weekly. This was just the first time she'd seen the aftermath, and yeah, I'd put on a good show of being a damsel in distress. Yeah, that shit wasn't as real as she thought it was. I was just angling to get all up in her business. See, I'd dealt with Lauren a couple a times, peeped her lifestyle, and decided to give it a try. She was living easy and sometimes a bitch just wanted to trade spots for a minute. I wanted a taste of her man. Simple as that. I didn't expect to start crushing on him, but now that he's stomped on my heart, fuck 'em!

Everybody knew Matt. He'd been the man in the streets before one of his soldiers turned on him and got him locked up. He'd been free for a minute, and everybody could see he wasn't feelin' playing wifey to Lauren, driving her around in her car and having her bring in all the cash. Shit, he wasn't no chauffeur and everybody knew he was itching for a return. Like a phoenix or some shit. But he was tainted . . . and busted! I don't know where his mind was, but I can tell you what word on the street was. Matt had lost his edge and was pussy-whipped by Lauren's high yellow ass. Wasn't no way the niggas in our hood were gonna follow behind that shit. So he was locked out of the game and if it weren't for Lauren he'd probably be living with his mama. Oops, my bad. His mama's dead. Anyway, Lauren turned her man into a bitch, but he was still hot and I didn't see nothing wrong with giving him a ride and helping him spend Lauren's money. That's what hoes do!

So yeah, I let Lauren save me. Funny thing is, for a pushy bitch she sure is soft when it comes to dealing with bitches. Might be because of her little sister, but that's her problem, not mine. Sure, she gives me some friction 'cause I come off as a dumb ho and we both know I'm screwing her man. But any other chick woulda split my head open over the shit I was doing to Lauren. I'm practically living in her condo and giving her man the best brain he's ever had. I keep thinking about the night Lauren and Matt scooped me up off the block and wiped the snot from my nose . . . shit, it was all I could do not to laugh in their faces. They have no idea what I'm about.

“Agh, help!” Humph! I'd screamed that word so many times it was my motto. “Help, help!” I sang again, like I was busting a nut, leaning back in the driver's seat of my red Mustang convertible. I was headed to see my man one last time before the shit hit the fan. That's right. I wasn't just fucking Matt. You can't count on one man for ya come-up.

I pulled up in front of Nik's ultramodern glass mansion and revved my engine a couple of times before jumping out. I loved that car. It was just one of many gifts I'd earned since hooking up with one of Virginia Beach's most successful businessmen. Rolling in dough. Dripping in gold. That kind of shit. He might be claiming Virginia Beach right now, but he was not from around here. And any fool could see that the money he rocked did not come from the businesses he claimed. Didn't add up. But that was okay by me. I wasn't his accountant or the fucking IRS, so I didn't need to track his dough. It was my job to spend it.

Which brings me to today's final visit.

Dude decided he was gonna cut me off. Kick me to the curb. End the affair. Whatever you wanna call it. I didn't expect our arrangement to last forever, but what happened to my parting gift? Consolation prize. Something! I mean, we'd been fucking for almost a year, and he didn't even want to get me a house. Stingy motherfucka!

I wasn't 'bout to hang around when my time was up. I was done livin' like that.

But I got something for that ass. Last week I ran through his office and picked up just enough info to lighten his wallet by three million dollars. I didn't have the connects to get that money out of his account and into my hands, but Lauren sure did. I just needed a little cover story on how I got the goods, 'cause I sure didn't want her in my business and that bitch always got a lot of questions.

As I walked through the door one last time, I said under my breath, “That's what he gets for letting a ho in his house. He shoulda just got me my own place.”

MATT

I
was dreaming that a huge boulder was rolling behind me when a sound like thunder caused me to stumble and fall. But the boulder didn't catch up to crush me. Instead, I jerked out of my sleep and heard the thunderous sound again.

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! That's when I realized I was no longer dreaming.

My heart was racing while my brain struggled to connect the sound with its source. Scared as hell, I forced my eyes open to the constant loud noise coming from somewhere in the condo. I tried to lift my head, but could barely move. The pain that shot through my skull from just opening my eyes was unbearable. It felt like somebody was standing over me hitting me on the top of my head with the pointy part of a hammer. The noise came again. After being fully awake for a few minutes, I realized it was coming from the front door. I reached into my nightstand drawer for my gun.

“Oh shit,” I croaked, barely able to move my dry, cracked lips. My mouth was so parched it felt like I had swished a cupful of sand around and tried to swallow it. I was experiencing a cross between a bad hangover, the day-after effects of an ass whooping, and a bad case of the flu.

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

Damn. Whoever it was, they weren't going away or giving up. I cocked my gun. Then I heard the familiar, high pitch of Yancy's voice. My shoulders slumped and I put the gun down on the nightstand.

“Matt! Lauren! I know y'all fucking in there!” If Yancy's screaming sounded that loud to me and I was in the back of my condo, I could only imagine how it sounded to our neighbors. This bitch was really wearing out the little bit of patience I had for her.

I tried to gather up enough strength to stand up from the side of the bed, but it wasn't easy. “Awwwfuck,” I groaned. Not only was my head throbbing with pain, but I felt completely off. The room was on tilt. This was crazy because I hadn't had a hangover in years. And from Cîroc? Nah, I wouldn't feel this fucked up from that mild-ass drink.

“Lauren?” I mumbled. “You here?” I struggled to move my pounding head so that I could look around the room. “Bae?” I called out to her. No answer.

“Maybe she ran out for a minute,” I said under my breath. But why wouldn't she have woken me up? It suddenly dawned on me that we had business to take care of, hence the reason Yancy was pounding on the door like a madwoman. Speaking of which . . .

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

“Matt! Lauren! I'm not fucking playing! Open up this door!” Yancy. Again.

“Fuck!” I huffed.

I squinted at the cable box and it read 4:55 PM. I swiped my hand over my face and shook my head. I couldn't have possibly slept all fucking day.

“This bitch,” I rasped. I gripped the side of the bed for support and slowly got to my feet. I almost fell backward. That is how bad my equilibrium was off. I felt like somebody slipped me a fucking roofie. I ain't never feel like this from no damn Cîroc.

I lumbered down the hallway to the condo door, barely able to lift my feet. I yanked opened the door to find crazy girl Yancy looking like a maniac on the other side. Her eyes were bugged out and had dark rings under them like she hadn't slept in days. Her hair was wild on her head. She had the illest look on her face too. Scary as hell.

“Why the fuck are y'all playing games with me?” Yancy barked as she bulldozed her way inside. Shit, she slammed into me so hard I almost fell flat on my ass.

“What are you talking about, man? I was sleeping. Lauren must've gone to run some errands,” I growled. “Fuck is you out here banging like the gotdamn police? You making it real hard to have a chill button around your ass.”

“Run some errands? You let her leave? You can't be that stupid, Matt,” Yancy spat. “Why would you let her leave without you? You really think she just went to run some fucking errands? I've been coming here since early this morning, banging on the door. I have been sitting outside and I haven't seen her come or go,” Yancy screamed at me. At first her words didn't quite sink in.

“Wait. What?” I asked. I felt dazed.

“You heard me. I've been here since like ten this morning. Banging. Sitting outside. I left and came back. Started banging again. You just now hearing me? There's no way Lauren was here this morning and left.”

I moved my head left to right, trying to shake off the fog that seemed to be looming over me. I looked around the living room and nothing seemed out of place. Then I checked the key hook and noticed that Lauren's car keys were gone.

“Let me call her,” I grumbled. “Because you bugging right now. You mad paranoid and shit. I told you she probably ran out for a reason. Damn.”

I slowly walked back to my bedroom to get my cell phone. Of course, stress box–ass Yancy was hot on my heels like she was going to miss something. She was mumbling and grumbling, but I wasn't trying to hear her.

I picked up my cell phone from the nightstand on my side of the bed. As I dialed Lauren's number, I watched Yancy peek into our master bathroom, walk over to Lauren's vanity, snoop on her nightstand, and finally walk over to our closet. She was like the fucking feds on a search warrant, I swear.

“It's going straight to voice mail. Maybe her battery died. I'm sure she will be back in a few,” I told Yancy. Even though I was trying to act like I believed that Lauren's battery had died, something in the pit of my stomach was telling me I might need to be worried. Lauren carried her phone around like she needed it to live, so she never let that shit go dead. I was still playing it cool in front of Yancy, though.

Yancy squinted at me, folded her arms across her chest, and tapped her left foot impatiently. “Matt, she's gone. I bet you she took the fucking money and left,” Yancy said calmly, taking a break from her panicky octaves.

“Nah, she wouldn't do that. And where she gon' go? I'm all that she knows. Lauren ain't got the heart to leave me. You ain't gon' understand what I have with her, but I know she can't stand to be without me,” I said confidently. But as the words left my mouth, I didn't know if I even believed that myself.

“You were all that she knew before we fucking stole three million dollars! But I bet you that bitch is gone and I bet you even more that she has the fucking money, too!” Yancy yelled, her face turning all sorts of shades of red. She started fidgeting her legs like she had to take a piss. “Matt, where did you put the money?” Yancy asked with panic lacing her words. “I want to see the fucking money. I want to see that shit right now, Matt. Where is it?!” she pressed me.

“It's in my fucking safe, Yancy,” I retorted. I walked over to my closet and stepped inside. My entire body was cold. My head was pounding. I wasn't up for this bullshit.

“It's probably gone,” Yancy taunted from behind me. “Every fucking dime is probably long gone. That bitch got us. I'm telling you she took it.”

I don't know if she was trying to convince me that it was gone or convince herself that it wasn't. My jaw rocked and I bit down on the skin inside my cheek. It was all I could do to keep myself from turning around and knocking Yancy's ass out. She wouldn't shut the fuck up and that shit was getting on my nerves.

I pushed my shoebox collection out of the way and moved the clothes I had blocking the wall safe. Nothing looked out of place to me. I punched in the combination code and listened for the beep. When the safe beeped and the lock clicked, I pulled back the small, heavy metal door. Yancy was still yapping from behind me, but all of a sudden I couldn't hear her. My ears were ringing. My heart pounded. I rubbed my eyes to make sure they weren't deceiving me. Heat rose from my feet and climbed up my body until it exploded out of the top of my head.

“Fuck!!!” I hollered. “Fucking bitch!!”

The safe was empty but for a lone piece of paper. I reached inside with a shaky hand and grabbed the paper. It was a note from Lauren. I held it between my fingers, but I couldn't even bring myself to read it.

“See! I told you she fucking took it! I fucking knew it!” Yancy cried out. She snatched the paper from my hand and began reading it out loud.

After she finished reading the letter, Yancy stood stock still for a few seconds. Then, as if someone had kicked her in the backs of her knees, she collapsed onto the closet floor.

“No, no, no!” Yancy shrieked over and over. She started kicking and screaming like that possessed bitch from the exorcist movie. I couldn't even understand what she was saying, nor did I care.

“I'm going to kill that bitch!! I will find her and I will fucking kill her!” I screamed. I began going crazy, swiping clothes onto the floor, kicking over shoe boxes, and finally sending both of my fists through the long mirror on the back of the door. I was so angry the pain from the glass cutting up my knuckles didn't even register. I punched the glass over and over until there was nearly no skin left on my knuckles.

“Lauren Kelly, you better hope I never find you. You fucked with the wrong man, you fucked with the wrong man,” I said over and over. I didn't care if I died trying, I was going to find Lauren and blow her brains out.

“You let this happen!” Yancy screamed at me. “You promised me that you would take care of it. You're so fucking stupid!”

Her words exploded in my ears like someone had detonated bombs in them. I grabbed a fistful of Yancy's weave and pulled her up from the floor.

“Get the fuck out!” I roared, dragging her toward the door. My hangover symptoms were long gone. I no longer had the pain in my head or the weak feeling in my body. I was feeling like the Incredible Hulk. My adrenaline was high and I felt like I could snap someone in half with my bare hands.

“Get off of me! I'm not leaving until I get my money!” Yancy cried out. She swung her arms wildly, trying to break free. She twisted around, trying to bite, kick, and punch me.

“You better stop and just get the fuck out!” I roared. With the anger I was feeling, I knew that if I really hit her, the blow would be fatal. Once we reached the front door, I opened it and tossed her out by her hair. She fell forward onto her hands and knees.

“Matthew!! You will see me again! This is not over!” Yancy cried. “This is not over! You motherfucka! It's not over!”

I wasn't trying to hear none of that bullshit she was spewing. I had too much shit on my mind to even care what Yancy was yapping about. I slammed the door in her face. Once I was inside of my condo alone, I put my back against the door and slid down to the floor. I felt like a bitch sitting there with my knees pulled up into my chest, rocking back and forth. For the first time since my moms had been murdered, I cried. I had not felt this kind of pain, grief, anger, and betrayal since that day, but now all of those emotions were back. I was crushed. Lauren had really fucking hurt me. I wasn't the type that could take this kind of hurt and just bounce back like shit ain't happen. Nah, I still had pride. I still had an ego, too.

“This ain't over. Somebody gotta die. Either you or me,” I said through clenched teeth, speaking to Lauren like she could actually hear me. “Somebody gotta die.” Little did I know those words would become a very true prophecy.