Trust No Bitch 3: Deadly Alliance (14 page)

Walking out of there and leaving Isaiah sitting on the floor wallowing in grief was one of the hardest things that JuJu had ever had to do. When he got home Bayonna noticed the stress on his face as soon as he walked in the house.

“You okay?” she asked, meeting him at the door with her piece in her hand.

“
Not really, shorty.” He walked straight back to the bedroom, removed his banger off of his waist and sat it on the nightstand. Sighing heavily, he sat down on the edge of the bed and stared at the wall.

Bayonna slid her gun under the pillow then sat down beside him and wrapped her arms around him.
“What's wrong, bae? Did you find him?” she asked.

JuJu couldn't respond.

“Talk to me,” said Bayonna, rubbing his neck.

He removed her arms from around him and laid back with his hands behind his head, looking up at the ceiling. The words came out slowly.
“This shit has Isaiah real fucked up and I don't know how to help him. He has started putting that shit up his nose and drinking all night and day.”

“
He's grieving, bae. You have to give him time,” she offered in Isaiah's defense.

JuJu didn't have the heart to tell her what Isaiah thought of
her
. There was no need for that. He sighed again then told her about the severed head.

Bayonna listened without comment as he described Isaiah firing shots into the head and kicking it around the kitchen.
“And he won't get rid of it,” JuJu said with exasperation.

“
That's dangerous, bae. What if somebody had called the police after hearing those gunshots, and they come there and find that shit?” said Bayonna.

“
I know,” he agreed. Then he became silent again.

Bayonna laid her head on his chest and listened to the beat of his heart. In the dim light of the bedroom their silhouettes danced across the wall but the only music playing was the silent cries in JuJu's head.

“Is this what it's about?” he wondered aloud. “Killing, dying—dying inside like cuz even though you're still walking around? Is that all the game offers muthafuckaz like us?”

“
It's not too late to get out,” Bayonna wisely reminded him.

JuJu chuckled, sounding just like Kiam.
“Nah, shorty, the only way out of this shit for a nigga like me is in a box. Nah mean? Muthafuckaz started the beef and I'ma finish it.”

“
And I'm going to be right there by your side,” she vowed, draping a thigh over his leg.

“
I know you will,” he acknowledged and pulled her on top of him.

“
You want me to ease your troubles?” she asked, looking down at him with hunger in her eyes.

“
Yeah, baby,” he said. “Put your nigga to sleep.”

Bayonna didn't have to be told twice. She knew exactly how to comfort him and make his ass snore when she was done.

JuJu awakened in the morning with his thumb in his mouth, literally.

When Bayonna saw that shit she started cracking up. “I told you your ass can't handle this,” she teased once he opened his eyes.

“
Girl please, I was just fuckin' with your head, you didn't do shit.” He tried to burst her bubble.

“
A lie don't care who tell it, nigga.” She snatched the pillow from under him and hit him over the head with it. “I had your ass crawling up the headboard then as soon as you got that nut you went out like a light.” She laughed.

JuJu cracked a little smile.
“Like I said, you didn't do nothin'.”

“
Hmph. I handled my business, I bet you that.” She stuck her tongue out at him.

“
Yeah you did,” he conceded. “You got that shit that'll fuck around and make a nigga drop on his knees and propose.”

Bayonna was cheesing mad hard.
“I know something that I can do on
my
knees?” she cooed. “You want me to show you?”

“
I do but I need to get up and go holla at Kiam.”

“
Awww.” Bayonna exaggerated a pout.

“
Fa real, ma. I gotta go tell my nigga what the business is.” JuJu leaned over and placated her with a kiss.

“
Okay, I guess I'll go hang out with my bitches today.” Bayonna reached for her cell phone while JuJu got up and jumped in the shower.

Chapter 18

I Got Your Back

W
hen JuJu arrived at Kiam's new house Lissha let him in wearing a serious mean mug. Behind her Kiam slid his fo-fifth back in place and stepped around her to greet his boy with a pound.

“
What's good, Boss?” asked JuJu cutting his eyes at Lissha.

“
We'll talk in a minute,” said Kiam.

“
Hmph!” Lissha huffed as she grabbed her coat off of the coat rack and put it on. She looked at JuJu and said, “Try to talk some sense into your
Boss Man
because I damn sure can't.”

JuJu wrinkled his brow.

“Oh, trust, it isn't that,” Lissha quickly clarified. “On my worst day I'm not that hard up.” She turned her head just in time to see Kiam grinning.

“You want to be in charge so bad it's killing you,” Kiam teased.

“Do you know what your problem is Kiam?” she asked.

“
Nah.” He shoved his hands down in his pockets. “But I'm sure you'll tell me,” he replied flippantly.

“
I sure fucking will,” Lissha spat. “Your problem is you're too cocky. Look in the mirror, nigga, ain't no '
S'
on your chest.”

“
I love you too,” quipped Kiam.

Lissha was hot.
“That's what I get for caring about your ungrateful ass.” She snatched the door open and stormed out, slamming it behind her. Kiam got on her damn nerves with his stubbornness.

Knowing what she did about Big Zo's plot, Lissha had been trying for hours to get Kiam to take a calmer
approach to the war in the streets and to think shit out a little more. But Kiam was set on hitting niggas hard.

Even though she didn't agree Lissha refused to turn her back on him. She had so many things to make amends for and there was no better time to start than now.

As she backed out of Kiam's driveway Lissha commanded her phone. “Call Treebie,” while she continued to fret over Kiam's bull headed attitude.

“
I'm making sure his ass is safe. Niggas can't be trusted,” she mumbled to herself as she waited for her girl to answer.

In the warmth of his den Kiam sat in his Lay-Z-Boy with the fire cackling in the fireplace behind him. His expression remained unchanged as he listened to JuJu's reports on last night's episode with Isaiah.

As JuJu told the story, he made sure not to omit anything. His
love for Isaiah had compelled him to offer him comfort last night but it did not force him to compromise his loyalty to Kiam. They were at war with a muthafucka that made niggas disappear if they weren't on point, and Isaiah was definitely slipping.

Kiam knew that if it came out of JuJu's mouth it was official. He understood Isaiah's pain better than anyone—he had lost a part of himself too—but he could not overlook him fuckin' with cocaine. That was the number one rule: don't get high on your own supply.

Isaiah had put in mad work for the team so Kiam didn't want to just cut him off cold, but he could no longer rely on him. If Isaiah was slipping that bad he was a danger to all of them. A chain is only as strong as its weakest link, Kiam reminded himself as he tried to decide what to do about Isaiah.

It didn't take long.

“I want you to fade Isaiah into the background until this war is over. Put Dirty in his place, let him handle distribution to our street team and make him head of security. I like his gangsta.”

JuJu nodded his head. He liked Dirty's get-down too.

Kiam continued, “Put someone else over the houses that Dirty ran, and shut down the spots that we have on the Westside until further notice. I don't feel good about our protection over there, those boys are sitting ducks for Wolfman.”

JuJu was impressed with how in-tune with all aspects of the operation Kiam remained in spite of everything that he had to deal with. He rattled off one instruction after another, addressing even the smallest matters.

“I'll take care of it all,” JuJu assured him.

“Oh,”
Kiam remembered. “I want you to pay Isaiah the same as he was being paid when shit was good. And if he pulls himself back together we'll put him back in his position.”

“That's love.”

Kiam turned around and stared at the fireplace, its heat was nothing compared to what was building up in the streets. “We're going to come out on top,” he promised.

“I know we will. I've never once doubted it,” said JuJu.

Kiam turned back around and saw the confidence in his mans’ eyes. JuJu's loyalty was rock hard. As concrete as Kiam's was to Big Zo.

Satisfied with the look he saw in JuJu's eyes, Kiam changed subjects. “We're meeting with Dontae and his people later on this evening,” he said. “I don't know what's on the nigga's mind.”

“When and where is the meeting?” JuJu asked.

Kiam gave him the details and before he could instruct him to have the place put under surveillance immediately, JuJu was already dialing numbers.

A few miles away Lissha was doing the same thing.

Chapter 19

Unwanted Guest

T
reebie moved around her house trying to get out of the door to meet Lissha. She had been away for a few weeks, scouting out a big lick in Akron, Ohio. With Spank gone she had to do all the foot work herself. Time was getting away from them and it was only a matter of time before the trail of death that Blood Money left behind would lead right to their doorsteps.

Treebie grabbed her keys and a small stack of money, put on her coat and ran her plan through her mind. She unlocked the front door and braced herself to encounter the frigid cold, but what she encountered almost caused her to swallow her tongue.

“I guess my threats don’t mean shit to you,” Riz said with his face firm and focused. Beside him Bones looked like he was primed to bust some knee caps.

Treebie looked at them with a steel gaze as she tried to calm her heart. “What’s up?”

“You know what the fuck is up,” Riz said, pushing past her and letting himself in.

Treebie mean mugged Bones as he followed Riz into the living room.

Riz took a seat on the couch and put his feet on her table like he was paying bills.

“To what do I owe the pleasure of your presence?” Treebie said, closing the door.

“Look, I didn't drive a million miles to play no fuckin' games. Where the fuck is Wa’leek?”

“You tell me. That nigga gave me his ass to kiss then pulled out dropping my keys on the table,” she calmly stated holding her eyes with his.

“And you haven't tried to call that nigga and find out what’s up?” Riz asked, knowing that no matter what happened between them, Wa’leek was not letting Treebie go.

“Let me explain some real shit to yo ass. I love Wa’leek no doubt. But the shit between us has been fucked up for a long time.” She paused and took a seat across from him. “What I need you to do for me the next time you see that nigga is tell him to stay gone.”

“So you're more concerned with him leaving you than you are with the fact that the nigga done turned up missing?” Riz took his feet down and sat forward.

“I came in this world by myself and when they carry my ass outta here I promise you I will be alone. What I don’t have time for is worrying about how the next nigga is eating and shitin’. Now I got mad love for Wa’leek but at this point in my life I don’t give a fuck what he does or where he’s at.”

“Out of respect for him I’ma take that for now.” He rose to his feet. “But I’ma do my own investigation and I hope and pray ain’t no foul shit going on or you can add me to the top of your list of problems.”

“I solve all my problems.” She stood as well.

“I’m counting on it,” he responded.

Bones looked at Treebie with a suspicious eye but he held his tongue. He knew that time was the type of bitch you had to fuck slow and he was prepared to ride this shit out.

“I’ll be in touch. Don't go too far because if shit don’t smell right around this muthafucka yo ass is the first one I’ma be all up in,” Riz threatened.

“I’ma hold you to that,” Treebie hurled back.

“Let’s go, my nigga.” He turned to Bones who had a look on his face like he wanted to ring Treebie’s neck. He didn’t trust her or anybody in her crew.

Riz walked to the door and Bones reluctantly moved behind him.

Treebie watched as the two of them stepped out the door then down the walk. She slammed the door behind them then went to the window and watched them pull away from the curb. She waited a good fifteen minutes before she too left out of the door. When she jumped in the car she was on fire, not only did they have to cover their tracks with Kiam they now had Riz breathing down their necks.