“It’s how I feel, baby.” Tan paused to pick up the phone. She put Loon on speaker so To’Wanda could hold the phone while she talked and drove. “Speak.”
“I know who did that shit at the hotel . . . and I’mma handle it,” Loon boasted over the loud noise that sounded like a live band in the background. Tan and To’Wanda looked at one another and shook their heads.
“Where are you at?” Tan asked.
“Huh?”
“Where you at?” Tan repeated herself.
“I’m at the strip club gettin’ some lunch,” Loon shouted over the music, while watching the girl on stage make it clap.
“Why you call me and you can’t hear? Hit me back when you leave.”
“Aiight, ‘cause you gonna wanna hear this.”
To’Wanda gave Loon the tone and she handed Tan the phone as she put it back in her purse. “Dumb motherfucker’s gonna make me kill his ass sooner than I anticipated,” Tan spat as she struggled to see out of the window. Even with the windshield wipers on high speed, it still looked as though they had gone through a laser car wash instead of driving through a busy street. Everyone was driving at a slow pace and To’Wanda hadn’t even wanted to come out of the house, but she compromised because Tan hadn’t said anything when she went back to Marques alone for some more dick.
“Aye, you think this is the church where they were having the funeral for that bitch’s mama?” Tan asked as she slowed and made a right to enter the church where the funeral procession was leaving. Tan drove all the way to the end and then put her blinkers on so she could follow the procession.
“I don’t think so.” To’Wanda looked outside, but of course, she couldn’t really recognize anyone who looked like Sapphire. “You think Justice knows Sapphire’s mother died?”
Tan looked at her as if she was stupid. “Why you think I asked if this was Sapphire’s mama’s funeral? You know it ain’t because a bitch lookin’ for Sapphire. I know that bitch every move. If I wanted her, I could’ve been gotten her ass. She ain’t no threat. It’s that bitch, Justice. I bet you that bitch here, too. I need to murk her right there in that church and they can continue the funeral service with an extra body.” Tan’s Spanish was getting thick and To’Wanda knew she was getting heated. There was no telling what she would do.
To’Wanda shook her head. She thought to herself if Tan was to do something stupid, there was no way in hell she was getting out in the rain to jump on the driver’s side so she could play the get-a-way driver. Hell to the naw! She didn’t sign up for that shit.
As the cars moved, Tan followed the procession to a burial ground just a few blocks away. They all drove up to the burial plot and when they pulled over and parked, Tan parked right behind them. To’Wanda looked at her as if she was crazy. “So if you see her, you gonna just kill her right here, just like that?”
“I should, shouldn’t I?” Tan glared over at To’Wanda as if she had just made a wonderful suggestion. She knew murder wasn’t To’Wanda’s forte, and she really didn’t want to show To’Wanda that beastly side of her, but if the opportunity presented itself she would definitely capitalize on it.
Tan pulled out of the parking space and drove along the street to get a closer look at the burial. She wanted to make sure she was at the right funeral.
“You serious right now? This is insane.” To’Wanda had tried to reason with Tan as she continued to creep forward.
Tan looked at her and rolled her eyes. As the car crept along, Tan strained her eyes to try to get a good look but the rain was a distraction. All of a sudden, her eyes widened as she saw Carlos standing next to someone who looked like none other than her target. “Wow!” Tan laughed at the irony of the sight before her.
I knew that bitch would show her face
. “I told you she was here!” she excitedly stated as she turned to To’Wanda. To’Wanda sat up, looked past Tan, and spotted Justice as well. She immediately got nervous because she knew Tan’s blood was boiling.
“Yo, you spazzin’ right now,” To’Wanda said as she sat back in the seat and crossed her arms while rolling her eyes at Tan. She was getting upset because her job was to count money, help launder it, and when necessary assist with the delivery of work to Tan’s minions. Being an accessory to a conspiracy to commit murder was not in her job description. To’Wanda may have been a hood chick and loved hood niggas and bitches, but she was a lover at heart. The last thing she wanted was for someone to get murked, even if they did cause her to be tied up and smacked around for a minute. Nevertheless, she knew Tan wanted to get Justice because she was more than certain that one day she would come after her for killing her brother.
Tan felt as if killing Monk was just a wound to Justice. Moreover, her father had always told her that there was nothing more dangerous than a wounded animal left alive. Tan came to an abrupt stop as she ran over a hump. “Damn, I didn’t see that muthafuckin’ speed bump. Shit!” Tan cursed, realizing that she had blown her cover and there was a good chance she had caught someone’s attention.
“Fuck it!” Tan said. “If it was them, and I’m pretty sure it was, then they just got their lives saved.” Tan continued to creep slowly and drive in the rain away from the burial service. She looked in the rearview mirror to see if anyone was pointing at her. Realizing her paranoia was getting the best of her, she started laughing. “Why the fuck am I trippin’? I can touch that bitch anytime I want, but I should’ve
been
took my ass to Chicago and got rid of that chinky-eyed bitch.”
“You know you couldn’t up and do that. It was too soon. Now enough time has passed that you won’t be suspected,” To’Wanda stated. Although she didn’t want any part of the violence, she knew not to refute Tan.
Tan felt somewhat satisfied after leaving the cemetery. She knew it was time to handle her business with Justice because common sense was telling her that Justice would be coming for her eventually. From that point on, it would be a ‘may the best bitch win’ situation. Tan knew without a doubt, that bitch would be her.
Driving away from the cemetery Tan headed for I-485 South to head back to Ballentyne, questioning herself as to why Carlos had been there also.
CHAPTER TWELVE
Man . . . I thought y’all muthafuckas forgot me!” Face yelled as he wheeled himself out of the old house on Pecan Avenue. His paraplegic state was a result of Monk catching him and Preme slipping a few years ago. His medium build now sat in a black leather wheelchair and he still was going to therapy to improve the use of his arms. His biceps were slightly bigger due to the excessive lifting of his own body weight day in and day out. The grotesque scar that stretched from his right temple to just below his chin seemed to decrease a little, but still set off the major characteristics of his face. Face now had a couple more scars like it on his upper torso near his left shoulder and a smaller one closer to his heart.
“Nah, nigga, we didn’t forget you,” Carlos said with a lot of regret because not one of his cars was handicap accessible. He got out of his Tahoe and met Face halfway as he rolled down the sidewalk. “Your aunt in there with you?”
“Yeah, she in there,” Face said as he turned to the side. “Her bad ass sons drivin’ a nigga crazy. I need to get out this bitch.” Carlos pushed Face to the truck. Preme got out and limped to open the back door and then he got back in the front where he was riding. Once Face was situated, Carlos went back, folded his wheelchair, and put it in the back of the truck.
“You good, bruh?” Carlos asked Face as he closed the door and got back in the driver’s seat.
Face shook his head as he looked at Carlos in the rearview mirror. He wondered how Carlos felt knowing that his ruthless hitmen were no longer as mobile as they used to be. Face had noticed that he had been coming around a lot less frequently and was becoming a little distant. Face knew it wouldn’t be long before he and Preme would be replaced by two younger niggas with full use of all their limbs.
When Carlos did come around, Face tried to enjoy the moment. Before pulling off, Face looked outside to see his six and eight-year-old cousins running out of the house and calling him by his government name. They were dressed alike in oversize black T-shirts with a minor league sports logo on them and some cut up black jeans. An older woman who could give Angela Bassett a run for her money ran out and grabbed each of the boys by the hand as she dragged both of them in.
“Daaaamn!” Preme said, sounding like Chris Tucker on
Friday
. “I swear to God if that wasn’t yo’ mamma’s sister, I’d fuck the dog shit outta her ass.”
Face pulled out a blue steel .45 and aimed it at the side of Preme’s face. “Fuck the dog shit outta
this
, nigga,” he offered.
“Nigga!” Preme turned and faced the barrel head on while looking at Face. “If you don’t get that fuckin’ pistol outta my face, I’mma come back there and beat your ass. Paralyzed or not, you know I’on play like dat.”
“Why you always gotta make sex jokes when you come ‘round a nigga? You know dat’s fucked up.”
“Both of y’all chill the fuck out!” Carlos stated from the driver’s seat. Face lowered his pistol and still glared at Preme. Carlos wanted to laugh but he knew Face was sensitive about being confined to a wheelchair, and no longer being able to get his dick hard. Carlos started the truck and drove off in the direction of one of his trap houses a few blocks down. “We got bizness to take care of and both of y’all niggas actin’ like broads.”
Carlos looked in the rearview mirror and saw that Face was still pissed and out of the corner of his eye, he noticed Preme silently staring out of the window. He was taking in the scenery of the houses that were old and deteriorating because the owners were too old to take care of them. Lawns needed to be cut and bushes needed to be trimmed. In addition, a couple of houses, including Face’s aunt’s house could stand a fresh coat of paint and some attention to fixing the roof. “These some old ass raggedy ass houses. They need to tear these shits down like they did in North Charlotte and take a few of them crab as niggas wit’ ‘em,” Preme commented.
Carlos and Face ignored his statement. Carlos looked into the rearview mirror at Face. “You know we went to Sapphire mamma’s funeral the other day.” He paused, then added, “Justice was out there.”
“Aww, don’t tell me you tryna fuck wit’ dat bitch?” Face got agitated as he used his arms to help him sit up. His mind flashed back to that day he caught hot lead from Justice’s brother. “Man, fuck dat bitch.”
“Yeah, fuck her and her dead brother. I’m glad Tan slumped that hoe ass nigga,” Preme jumped in.
Carlos turned down the music and looked at both his partners with a scowl. “Hold up. Y’all niggas keep cryin’ over spilled milk and shit, but it’s
y’all
fault he lived long enough to even squeeze a trigga at yo’ ass. Don’t act like y’all forgettin’ about that fuck up at TGI Fridays. You had your opportunity then, but you missed and he capitalized on it. Shit happens. The nigga’s dead! Let that shit go.”
Preme sucked his teeth and mumbled, “Fuck him
and
his triflin’ ass sister!”
“Anyway, like I was sayin’,” Carlos addressed Face. “Justice was at the funeral and I tried to holla at her.”
“Outta all these hoes out here that wanna give you some ass, you still wantin’ to fuck wit’
that
bitch?” Face was genuinely disappointed. “Come on, bruh.”
“Yeah nigga, I still don’t trust that slimy hoe,” Preme said as Carlos pulled the Tahoe into the driveway of a rundown house on LaSalle Street. Preme opened the door to get out. He looked back at Carlos. “Let Tan body that bitch, bruh.”
“Nigga, that might be the smartest shit that ever came outta yo’ slick ass mouth. I second dat,” Face agreed.
“I think she came up to the gravesite to do that,” Carlos said. “I saw her car and I think Justice saw her, too. I believe that crazy bitch woulda done it. That bitch ‘bout worst than me when it come to that revenge shit.”
“Yeah, but that bitch careless wit’ her shit. Don’t forget she was the one that sent a nigga up in TGI Fridays in the first place. But on the real doe, I think you really do need to let Tan handle Justice and you stay out of that shit.”
Carlos sighed deeply before opening his door to get out. He didn’t respond to what Face had said, but he’d heard him loud and clear. He had a decision to make because he knew it wouldn’t be long before the two women started inquiring about one another. On one hand, he thought about his business relationship with Tan and how his decision would affect his paper. Although Tan was no longer his sole supplier, she was cheaper and more efficient than the nigga he was dealing with in Miami. Ever since Dave had gotten fucked up with those keys, Carlos had slowed down from copping from Florida.
Carlos also thought about Justice and how even after all that had transpired he still had feelings for her, and deep down, he didn’t want anything to happen to her. As he helped Face out the truck and into his wheelchair he thought about what Face had just told him and realized there was no way he could just stay out of it because he was about to be dead smack in the middle of it.
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
Justice’s desire to get revenge for the murder of her brother was growing minute-by-minute and hour by hour and she couldn’t wait to deal with Tan. She knew she wasn’t crazy when she thought she saw Tan roll by at Sapphire’s mother’s funeral. It had to be her…
Justice had tried to get Sapphire to hang out with her and leave Charlotte for a little while but she refused. Justice, trying to be understanding because she had lost her own mother when she was younger decided to give Sapphire some space and decided to clear her own head for a little while.
Concord Mills was the first exit outside of Charlotte on I-85 north. It wasn’t as far as Greensboro or Raleigh or even a quick trip to the VA, but the trip would serve its purpose of getting a breath of fresh air and it was close enough in case she had to rush back to tend to Sapphire.
Justice hadn’t even turned off the ignition good before she felt her phone vibrate. She pushed the button to accept the call.