Honor Thy Thug

17




ANGEL

When Jaz called, Kaylin and I came as fast as we could. She refused to say anything over the phone, so we didn’t know what to expect. So there we were in her living room, on the couch, with her seated across from us.

“I just needed to talk to my family. Sorry y’all had to travel so far just to hear me vent, so I’ll reimburse you guys for the expenses.”

“Girl, please,” I said. “Now you talkin’ crazy.”

“Jaz, Faheem would look after my wife the same way. So don’t insult me like that. Now, tell me what’s happening with you,” Kaylin said. “And where’s Faheem?”

Jaz took a deep breath. “I know that having this all bottled up inside me can’t be good.” She got up and came over to the sofa and sat next to Kaylin. “I told Faheem I would handle everything. Y’all know that he’s in no condition to put in any work. Hell, he is still not right mentally. He had lost little Faheem, so I felt that he should not have to be bothered with this bullshit. What was I here for? He always underestimates me.”

“Jaz, what do you mean by ‘he’s in no condition to put in any work’ and to let you ‘handle everything’?” Kaylin asked her.

I was already reading between the lines. I knew Jaz. And I knew that she was getting ready to tell us about some outlandish shit that she had done. She didn’t call us way down there to “vent,” as she called it.

“All I’m saying is, I stepped up to the plate and helped him.”

“Helped him do what?” Kaylin asked.

“So where is he now?” I wanted to know.

“He’s locked up.”

“Locked up for what?” I asked. Jaz was beating around the bush, and it was starting to irritate me. And the plot thickens, I thought to myself.

Kaylin had eased up to the edge of the sofa. “You helped him do what, Jaz?”

“It’s me that they should be questioning. But Steve said they should be releasing him today. They are questioning him about Oni’s murder.” She glared at us.

“Jaz, she got murdered? Are you saying that is why they should be questioning you?” I asked.

“Shit,” Kaylin mumbled. He then leaned over and whispered into my ear, “Her ass took her out or had something to do with it.”

I looked over at little ol’ Jaz and couldn’t wrap my mind around her killing somebody. So now that made two of us in the clique who’d committed the deed. But did she really actually do it?

“Angel, I see the wheels in your head turning. Chill out. I didn’t do it, I got someone else to do it. That’s how I know that they are going to have to let Faheem go. They don’t have anything on him.”

“What’s Faheem saying about all of this?” I asked, but I already knew the answer.

“You know Faheem. He’s livid. That’s why I called y’all down here. Kaylin, I need you to talk to him. He already knew about the first one but just found out about Oni when they came and picked him up.”

“Oh, my God, Jaz! Who was the first one?”

“Who do you think? That nigga responsible for lil’ Faheem, Steele. He was the first one, and he deserved to die, just like she did. Don’t judge me, Angel.” She looked at me with one eyebrow up and one down.

“Jaz, cut the bullshit. You know I’m not judging you. But if you think I can just sit here while you tell me you had your hand in bodying two people and me not be stuck on stupid, you must be crazy.”

“Angel, please.” Kaylin raised his hand, putting it in my face. Translation: Shut the f*ck up. “Jaz, so what do you expect me to say to Faheem?” Kaylin asked her. I knew that he was just as surprised as I was.

Her eyes got big, and she began to frown. I could tell that she was shaken at the thought of dealing with Faheem on this. “I’m not sure. I just need you to talk to him before he talks to me. I only did what I did because it needed to be done. What else was I supposed to do?” Jaz popped up off the couch and started pacing back and forth.

“I’ma be straight up with you,” Kaylin began. “You acting like what you did ain’t no big thing. Have you thought about the moves your opponent would make? I can tell you right now, that’s gonna be Faheem’s beef. You can’t do what you did and not overthink your opponent. You can never plan for the worst, let alone the unexpected. I mean, it is what it is. And I’m sure Steele had people. You don’t think they comin’ after you?”

“Are you done? Can I talk now?” Jaz asked in a condescending tone.

“Go ahead. I’m just keeping it real with you. That’s why you called me down here, ain’t it? I’m anxious to hear your logic.” Kaylin was talking to Jaz as if she rode the small yellow bus.

“Kay, what the f*ck was I supposed to do? The nigga needed to be got. The bitch did, too. So what? As far as I’m concerned, I did the right thing.”

“But it wasn’t the right thing, Jaz,” I cut in.

“Red!” Kaylin motioned for me to shut up once again. I turned my head and began to rub my hands together. I was ready to slap the shit out of both of them.

“Angel, I know you ain’t talking! You forgot that you did a nigga before? You felt as if it was the right thing to do. And Kaylin, you were down with her. You had her back.”

“So what, you think Faheem ain’t gonna have yours? Is that what this is all about?” I asked her. “Why would you even think that?”

When she got all choked up, I knew that’s what the whole thing was about. Faheem had such a temper. And whenever Jaz did anything he didn’t like, he would punish her as if she was a child. And now it looked as if she was petrified. She was more worried about Faheem when she should have been worried about some drug dealer shooting up her house and coming after her whole family.

“Angel.” Jaz started crying. “He is going to flip. If I could do it over, I would have let him handle it, but I can’t. It’s done. Please don’t leave until you talk to him, Kay.”

I got up and hugged Jaz. I could feel her body trembling. I knew that she was scared shitless. “I’m here for you, Jaz. And I’ll be here for as long as you need me.”


TASHA

My sister had been blowing up my phone. This was her third time calling me tonight.

“Tasha, something’s up. Why would he leave his truck in front of the house? His neighbors say it hasn’t moved in days. And where are those damned dogs?”

“Trina, chill out. You said yourself that he was getting rid of them.”

“But he would have told me first. Tasha, he’s not even answering his phone.”

I tried to put her mind at ease before I hung up. I didn’t have to be a rocket scientist to figure that one out. Trae got to him already. But for now, I was on a mission. I had to do this. This would complete the deed. I concentrated on the click of my stilettos against the shiny hospital floors. As I got closer to Room 311, the gentleman sitting outside of the room became more attentive. He finally stood up.

“Can I help you?”

“Hello. I’m Rosalind, a friend of Charli’s. I just wanted to drop these flowers off and to see how she was doing.” I tried to get a peek to see if anyone else was in the room with her.

He stepped in front of the door and pulled out a phone. I began to get nervous. This was exactly what Trae meant when he said you were supposed to think things through. What if they take me away and kill me? Trae would never know. I was out here all willy-nilly, walking right into the hands of the enemy. And why? Because of my emotions. I understood why a bitch shouldn’t run the country. Just because I was feeling catty, there I was, jeopardizing my life and the possibility of my children and husband never seeing me again.

Right when I was about to turn my ass back around and leave, he hung up. “You can visit, Mrs. Macklin, but please be respectful, and stay no more than ten minutes.”

When he called me by my last name I could have shit myself. He knew who I was. I should have hauled ass out of there right then, but noooo. I had to go and see this bitch. I needed to see my handiwork. But why would he allow me to visit?

“Thank you,” I told him.

He bowed his head slightly and moved from in front of the door. I stepped inside the flower and gift-filled room. The curtains were drawn, allowing the glaring sun to shine in. The television was on, but there was no sound coming out. I laid the bouquet of flowers with the card attached across the foot of the bed.

I stood there for a minute looking down at my nemesis. I felt a sense of empowerment. Here I was alive and healthy. There she was head, face and arms bandaged up, breathing through tubes, hanging on for her life. Life was sweet.

I leaned over and whispered in her ear, “Oh, poor little Charli. Can you hear me? You f*ckin’ ho ass bitch! I told you time and time again to leave what’s mine alone. I know that dick is good but is it worth what you are feeling now? I am so glad you can’t speak. I don’t ever want to hear your irritating voice again. Ever. And if by some fluke you wake up and survive, then you better not open that nasty mouth of yours to call my house, speak to me or my husband. Trust me you won’t even survive my next attack. Most flea bag bitches have nine lives but yours will be cut at the third. So play with me if you want to. And you had the nerve to try to burn down my house? With my kids in it? Stay in your f*ckin’ lane, you nasty bitch.”

I wanted to spit on her. I stood tall, turned around, and walked out. As I hit the hallway, her heart monitor began beeping really fast.


JAZ

I had just finished fixing a plate for Angel and Kaylin when I heard Kaeerah yell, “Here comes Daddy and Mr. Steve!”

I looked at Kaylin preparing to eat. “Don’t get up. I will bring him in here.” I took off for the front of the house. Kaeerah was already outside at Steve’s car, helping her dad with his crutches.

“Jaz,” Steve called out to me.

“Steve, thanks for bringing him home.”

“Hey, it’s what I do,” he bragged.

“Dad, where were you?”

“I had to talk to the police.”

“Were you scared to talk to the police?”

“Not at all.”

“Good.”

They came up onto the porch, and I held the door open. Faheem leaned over and kissed me on the cheek. “We have company,” I told him.

“Who?”

“Kaylin and Angel. They’re in the kitchen eating.”

“Cool. What a surprise. What did you cook?”

“Lasagna, asparagus, and salad.”

“What brings them down here?”

“I called for backup.”

“Why do you need backup?”

“Because I know you, Faheem. Like you’re being real cool and calm right now. I know that this is just the lull before the storm.”

“You think you know me, Jaz.”

“I know you, Faheem.”

“Did you know that I spoke to Snell and Rock and told them exactly how to handle my situation? Did you know that they were doing everything I told them to do, not what you wanted? Did you know that I knew every move that you were making? Every phone call? Every dollar you paid out? Now, what did you say was for dinner?”

I was stunned. I didn’t want to believe what Faheem had just told me. Anger slowly heated up my entire body. I balled up my fist and punched the wall. “F*ck this!” I needed to take a walk. I stormed out of the house. That nigga just pissed all over my parade.


TRAE

I was still trying to figure out how my training and time under the wing of the one and only Charlie Li lasted only a measly two months. Everything was going smoothly. They were feeling me and how I handled things, and they told me so. I was feeling them and how they kept their word and never came with any bullshit. But then, boom! It was all over. And Tasha was walking around as if she was on cloud nine, tickled about the whole damn thing, and I didn’t like it.

She was sucking my dick real nice like she always did, when I finally dumped my seed down her throat. I came real hard, and it took me a minute to get my head clear.

“Baby, what’s the matter?” she asked as she began planting gentle kisses up my abs and on my chest.

“I’m just thinking, that’s all.”

“Thinking? About what? And right in the middle of my fabulous head game? I’m down here puttin’ in all this hard work, and you’re someplace else.”

“Just trying to figure out my next move.”

“While I’m giving you head? Are you serious?” She got up off the bed and disappeared into the bathroom.

When she came out, she sat at the bottom of the bed. I patted the spot next to me. “Tasha, come here.”

“Not until you tell me what’s on your mind.” She grabbed my nightshirt off of the floor and put it on.

“Business.”

“What business?”

“I was able to get a meeting with Mr. Li. But I still haven’t figured out how I’ma distance myself from this whole dog incident but at the same time use it to my advantage.”

“Use it to your advantage? What does that mean? I don’t like the sound of that. I’m going with you to the meeting.”

I looked at Tasha as if she was crazy. “No, you’re not.”

“Yes, I am.”

“Okay, go with me and do what?”

“I don’t know. I just need to be there.”

“Why are you so threatened by this chick? Why are you allowing your jealousy of this chick to make you block me from taking care of my business? That is not a good look, Tasha.”

“She’s no longer a threat to me, Trae. I made sure of that.”

“She should have never been one in the first place. I still can’t figure that out.”

“Why can’t you? You sure lost your mind when Kyron came into the picture.”

“That’s different.”

“No, it’s not. You’re gonna sit here and tell me that you didn’t feel threatened? C’mon, Trae.”

“I’m not talking about me. I’m talking about you. You know that I belong to you and that I’ll always be yours. So why did you feel so threatened?”

“You want to know why?”

“Yeah, tell me.”

“You want to know why?” She jumped up off the bed, stomped over to her nightstand, pulled open the bottom drawer and took out some papers. “This is why! You allow the bitch to call my house, and then she sends me this!” She threw a stack of pages at me.

“What is this?” I turned on the lamp.

“The bitch sent me some of her diary pages!”

I snatched the pages up, and sure enough, there were copies of Charli’s handwritten diary pages titled 50 Shades of Trae. “So what is this supposed to prove, Tasha? I don’t care about this bullshit.”

“She talks about the several times that y’all f*cked, Trae.”

“Bullshit. Anybody can write some shit down on some paper. Who are you going to believe, me or her? Tell me that you don’t know that bitch is delusional. Tell me, Tasha!”

“I told myself that. But she talks about shit that she just couldn’t make up.”

“Tasha—”

“Don’t Tasha me! What about the flowers you brought her? Or you going to her house? That may be delusional, yes. But what about that little trick she did on you? The trick that you taught me to do on your dick. She made that up, too? Is that delusional? Nigga, I don’t think so. I hope that bitch dies up there in that hospital room, and if she isn’t dead, I hope those dogs ate her beyond recognition.”

“Tasha, I told you time and time again, that was business, nothing personal. You are my wife, my world, and that will never change.”

“Translation, but I’ma f*ck other bitches if the business calls for it? F*ck you, Trae!” She went into the bathroom and shut the door. Here we were back at square one.

“Tasha!” I called out to her, but she didn’t answer. I picked up the stapled pages. 50 Shades of Trae. That bitch was crazy. I began to read . . . page after page. I didn’t know if I should laugh or be scared of the bitch. She had shit in there that I never did. Ate her p-ssy? That shit never happened. Spent the night at her crib? Hell to the no! That ho was more than delusional. She was deranged.

• • •

Of course, the next two days, all I got was the silent treatment. I had been staying close to the house, keeping an eye on my crazy wife, but I finally got the call, and it was time for that meeting. I needed to know where I stood and if my family was in danger. Even though deep down inside, I knew there was no running and hiding. If Charlie Li wanted to get me, no matter where I was, I was got. Over the phone, I wouldn’t be able to know, but with a face-to-face, I didn’t care what came out of a man’s mouth. The eyes revealed it all.

“Trae, Marva and your parents are taking the kids to SeaWorld.” Tasha said interrupting my thoughts.

“When?”

“Tomorrow.”

“Nobody said—”

“Don’t even try it. We told you several times. Nana wants you to call her. She wants one of us to come with them. I nominated you.”

“You know I can’t go. I gotta make this meeting and don’t know how long I’ll be gone.”

“Okay, but I can’t, either. And I won’t be here when you get back.”

“What are you talking about?”

“For my cousin Stephon’s birthday, Trina and I are going to his favorite hotel in Vegas to celebrate him.”

“Vegas? When were you planning on telling me about this?”

Tasha was sitting at her vanity table, playing with her hair, looking at me in the mirror. “I’m telling you now.”

“Unh-uh. No. I got important business to take care of, and I don’t need to be worrying about you in Vegas somewhere with your sister. I want you here when I get back.”

“People in hell want ice water but everybody can’t get what they want.” I went over to the vanity, leaned over, and sank my teeth into her shoulder. “Trae, please, that hurts.”

Her eyes were getting watery. I released her shoulder and kissed her on the very spot that I just bit. “No Vegas. And be here when I get back.”