Black & Ugly as Ever (18 page)

The interrogation room was cold and drab and I was frustrated. They didn’t even have the decency to tell me what was going on, or give me any shoes. It was like they were trying to keep me in suspense on purpose. Twenty minutes after I’d been brought in, the person who came through the door almost made me fall out of my chair.

“Hello, Parade…how are you?” she asked as she opened the door. Taking the seat directly across from me at the table, she smiled.

“What the fuck is going on?” I asked shocked to see her. She even had a badge hanging around her neck. “And who are you…really?”

She smiled again and I felt like knocking her teeth out of her mouth. I had Jay on my mind and wasn’t in the playing mood.

“Well…for starters my name isn’t Sweets. It’s Essence. And I’m an undercover detective in the homicide division. I’m also working in conjunction with the FBI to bring down Smokes. We’ve been after him for quite some time now.”

The room seemed off balance and I didn’t know if I should be happy or sad. After all, she was basically telling me I wasn’t in this thing alone. I hadn’t even discussed my issue with Miss Wayne or Jay. I didn’t want to get anybody more involved than I already had. I guess that’s what she meant when she said
she’s more on my side than I realize
.

“What the fuck does any of this have to do with me?” I was trying to maintain control.
She smiled, and said, “More than you think. For starters, we want you to testify against Smokes. We have several charges stemming from the murder of your friend Sky Taylor to drug trafficking across state lines. He’s in over his head now and all we need is your help. Silver has already conspired against him for a lighter sentence and your testimony would help tremendously.”
I knew it! Silver was a bitch ass nigga all along! Still, hearing Sky’s name in the same sentence as Smokes again made me feel ashamed. How could I betray her in death? I was willing to do anything to undue the wrong I’d done but I wasn’t sure if testifying was it. I never was a snitch and I wasn’t about to start now. Instead, I decided to present her with a little piece of evidence I had that nobody knew about. When Smokes broke down to me what I had to do, the day after my talk with Jay, I recorded the entire conversation. I took Jay’s advice about being two steps ahead seriously. And now I was glad I did.
“I’m sorry. I have the code of the streets all in my blood and I won’t be able to testify, but I recorded a conversation I had with him and it goes into detail about what he wanted me to do. You know…the night you were at the house and trying to eavesdrop. Would that be enough to bring him down?” The smile on her face told me everything I needed to know.
“It would be perfect! Where is it?” she questioned.
“At home. I hid it so he won’t be able to find it.”
“Great, we’ll take you there to get it after we get the warrant back for his arrest. We should have it in a few minutes. I would’ve been able to record the conversation myself but you insisted that I leave. That’s why I was so adamant about staying.”
While she talked I thought about how cozy she was with Smokes and had a question of my own that needed to be answered.
“Did you sleep with him?” I blurted out.
“Let’s just say I do what I have to for my shield.”
I just smiled. As long as he was out of the way and I wouldn’t be forced to do anything illegal. I was happy. Although I was partially relieved, Jay was still heavy on my mind. I needed to know what happened to him but was afraid to ask. Maybe I really didn’t want to hear the truth. And then she said, “Before we leave, I have someone I want you to see.”
She left for five minutes before returning with Jay. He was bruised and he limped a little but he was okay. I ran up to him and wrapped my hands around his neck. My baby was alive.
“I’ll leave you two alone for a few minutes,” she said walking toward the door. “Parade, thanks for everything.”
“Sure!” I was excited to see my baby’s face.
When she left I said, “I thought I lost you for good,” I kissed his swollen and bruised lips.
“How you figure you were gonna get rid of me that easy?” he said wrapping his arms around my waist. Although in pain, he held me like not a bone on his body ached. He was definitely a trooper. “I told you, you had me for life.”
“Then why were you going to move to L.A.?”
“I was gonna move to L.A. to get myself together, Parade. And it’s still somethin’ I wanna do. But it won’t stop my love for you.”
I was disappointed because I wanted him here with me. “So that means we really are through?”
“Naw…it means I hope you like the warm weather, cuz we moving together.”
I laughed and kissed him again. “I was getting ready to say!” I was still caught up in the mood when I remembered something. “How did they know you were there?”
“Zeeway got that Onstar shit in his car. So they were able to track him. They woulda been found my ass a long time ago but had trouble finding out what building I was in. I think they even went to Wayne’s because he must’ve went there too.”
“Yeah…we weren’t at Miss Wayne’s too long before we left and he took me to the apartment. I hope they lock his bitch ass under the jail.”
“That nigga not goin’ back to jail,” Jay laughed.
“Why not? He was just involved in this shit as everybody else.”
“They found his ass behind the wheel of his car dead. He must’ve got somebody else fucked up.”
In all the drama I forgot about my friend Kelsi who saved my life. And I hoped in the future I’d be able to thank him, although I doubt it was about that with him. Real niggas do real shit.
For some reason, despite all the dismay, I felt content, relaxed, happy and most of all in love. With the possibility of my relationship with my mother being renewed, I could finally exhale, and live my life. To the fullest.

Smokes walked around his home in hysterics. He couldn’t reach Zeeway. He couldn’t even find Tate, the man that held Jay at gunpoint. And most of all, he couldn’t locate Parade. When his phone rang he hesitated at first because he knew who it was. Ace was not only expecting the cash Parade was to wear taped to her body, but she was also supposed to be sold as product in the sex trade.

“Today is your last day,” Ace said. “If she doesn’t get off that plane today, you might as well kill yourself.”
“Fuck you, nigga!” Smokes said arrogantly knowing that all was lost anyway. He figured he might as well talk shit in his last hours.
“You gonna wish you didn’t say that.”
Without responding Smokes hung up. He was just getting ready to place one last call to find out what was going on when he heard a loud crashing noise at the front door followed by heaving running through his home. Could Ace make it here that quick? He thought. He looked out the window and saw cop cars everywhere. He was surrounded. He had two options. Go to jail or kill himself. If he went to jail, Ace would surely have him tortured before being murdered. But if he killed himself, he could go out smooth and choose his own fate.
So instead of panicking, he sat at this desk, threw his feet on top of it and lit one of his Cherry flavored Blunts. Then he downed all of the Ciroc vodka he poured earlier in his glass.
“Freeze! Put your hands up!” one of the cops yelled after busting in his office door. Ten or eleven guns stayed pointed in his direction.
Smokes didn’t budge, just laughed. When he moved to pull open his desk drawer they demanded he freeze again.
“You betta freeze before we shoot, mothafucka! It’s over!” one cop yelled.
He was still laughing until he saw Sweet’s face. Instantly the smile was removed when he saw the badge dangling around her neck. He had a snake in his mist the entire time and didn’t know. Suddenly he wasn’t as cool anymore but wasn’t going to show it.
“I should’ve known you was a stank ass, bitch!” he spat.
“It’s over, Smokes. Why don’t you stand up and surrender? Make this smooth,” Sweets replied.
“Fuck you, bitch,” he yelled as he pulled out the gun from his drawer, put it under his chin, and blew his brains out. And just like that, it was over.
Everything.