Down by Law (4 page)

A
t 11:47
PM
, Face looked at me for the third time and said, “You sure you ready? 'Cause, word is bond, you cannot be freezin' up. You said you wanted to be a big girl so I need you to be about this big money.”

Me and Face was in the cut, parked in a small alleyway. We sat in his black Monte Carlo, with the lights off, and I promise you I wanted to take my fist and throat bust 'im. Make 'im cough his tonsils up. And yeah, I was scared as heck. It was one thing to imagine what a drop would be like, but it was a whole other level to be about it in real life.

However.

I didn't need Face sweating me like this. I needed him to hype me up. Make me feel like I was that chick. Instead, he made my stomach queasy, like I had diarrhea.

Sweat bubbled on my nose and brow. I wiped it with the back of my hand, then turned and looked straight at Face. “First of all, I don't like how you comin' at me, all wild and crazy, like you doubtin' me. And second of all, if you didn't trust me then you should've left me at home. 'Cause me and Yvette got a bag of weed to smoke. And I got school tomorrow. Now either you wanna do this or you don't. 'Cause you gotcha boy up the street.”

I pointed through the windshield at K-Rock, who'd just stepped outta his car and was kickin' it with one of the Down South dudes who'd moved in on Face's block. “And he's all ready for the kill. But you sittin' here and sweatin' me like you on your period. You need a maxi pad or somethin'?”

“I don't know who you think you talking to, but I ain't Schooly. So you better watch yo' mouth and chill wit' all that. I'm just making sure you know that once we get outta this car, that this not a game.”

I swallowed the nerves I felt tingling my throat and twisted my lips. “Yo, look, is you ready?”

“I'm ready.”

I tossed Face his ski mask and slid mine over my face and neck. “Well, let's go get 'em.”

We eased out the car and tipped a few steps down the block. I was doing my best not to give in to the nerves dancing around in my stomach. I squeezed my inner thighs tightly, as we walked up behind 'em. There were three dudes, including K-Rock, chopping it up and handling business. K-Rock was to pretend that he was buying the pounds of weed and that he was just as surprised as the other dudes when we snuck up behind them.

Face bust two shots in the air and er'body froze.

“ER'BODY HIT THE GROUND! FACE DOWN!” Face yelled and they all hit the concrete.

“Ice,” Face spat quickly. “Run the car real quick. Check the glove compartment. Under the seats, the sides of the doors, and the trunk. Take everything you see!”

The car was a silver Audi 5000, kitted up. Truthfully, we should've just taken the car, stripped it, and taken it to the chop shop, but obviously Face didn't think of that. And there was no time to toss a monkey wrench in the plan, so I did as I was told. In the glove compartment was a nine and a thirty-eight. Under the seats was pounds of weed and two more guns. And in the trunk was two pots of gold at the end of the rainbow: one duffel bag full of money, mostly hundred-dollar bills. And another duffel bag filled with raw dope.

Cha-ching!

When I hopped out the car, I saw one of the dudes on the ground inching his hand around toward his boot. I rushed over to him, kicked away his hand, then kicked him in his side. “Word is bond, you 'bout to have two choices: this three-fifty-seven to the dome or this forty-five in your throat!”

Click-click
! Face readied the gun.

I carried on, “Now try some sucker shit again and see don't yo' mama be dressed in all black.” I snatched a twenty-two from the side of his shoe.

I looked up at Face and could tell by the way his eyes shined that beneath his ski mask he was grinnin'. “Hurry up. Run they pockets!” he spat.

I hit up all of their pockets, including K-Rock, 'cause I had to make it seem like he wasn't a part of the plan.

I snatched wads of money, baggies filled with vials of crack, and two more guns. Afterwards, I made them take off every stitch of jewelry they had on: gold watches, gold chains, and rings. “And spit out them grills too!” I said and out came two diamond-clustered grills on the ground. I tossed everything into the duffel bag.

A few seconds later, we were back in the car. We tossed the ski masks into the street, and sped off into the distance.

I swear I'd never felt no high like this before. I felt like I was . . . on top of the world. Walking on clouds. Like I was in Oz. I couldn't believe I'd just pulled that off. Truth be told, I wanted to go again. My heart thundered in my chest and although I wanted to ask Face how he thought I was, I couldn't stop smiling long enough to speak.

When we got back to Da Bricks, K-Rock was waiting for us in our building. We didn't make no eye contact with him; instead, we were silent, and walked quietly to our apartment.

Marvin Gaye's “Sexual Healing” serenaded us as we walked into the living room. Daddy was holding Queenie's hand and leading her to their bedroom, leaving the turntable spinning.

Me and K-Rock followed Face into he and Schooly's room. Schooly was sleeping or at least pretending that he was.

Face flicked the light on, and just as he started grinning at me, K-Rock gave me a hug so tight that I didn't ever want him to let me go.

God, he smelled delicious
.

I wrapped my arms around him and sank my head into his hard chest.

“Yooooooooo, Icy, you be illin'!” K-Rock smiled.

“Word is bond, you the illest lil sis in the world.”

Illest lil sis . . . ?
I dropped my arms, held my head up, and stepped out of his embrace.

“Word up,” Face said. “You did that. I was so proud of you, I ain't know what to do. I got another drop I'ma need you to hit up with me! Straight up.”

Face yanked one of the duffel bags from the floor, while K-Rock picked up the other.

I stood there, tapping my foot, as K-Rock and Face divvied up the goods. I was getting pissed by the moment, but instead of spazzing out I simply said, “Y'all tryna play me or somethin'?”

They both turned and looked at me. Even Schooly quickly opened his eyes and then closed them back.

Face and K-Rock looked surprised. “Nah, Icy,” K-Rock said. “Wassup?”

“First of all
Ke'Ron
, my name is not Icy. It's Isis. And what you mean, wassup? Wassup?” I frowned. “You know what time it is!” I held my hand out.

“Oh my bad,” Face said. “Let me hit you off real quick.” He handed me a fifty-dollar bill, a gold chain, and a ring.

Oh. Hell. No. He didn't.

And just when I didn't think it could get worse, K-Rock handed me a gold watch and said, “I thought about keeping this for myself, but here you go, Icy.”

I slid the money in my pocket, but everything else I tossed alongside of Schooly. “I know you not asleep, Schooly. And you can have all that.” Schooly opened his eyes long enough to sweep his new jewelry collection under his pillow and then he turned toward the wall and closed his eyes again.

I lifted a nine and thirty-eight from the dresser. I didn't know if the guns had bullets in them or not, but I still pointed 'em anyway. “The way I see it, just like I told them soft mothersuckers tonight. You got two choices. This nine or this thirty-eight 'cause one thing y'all not about to do is play me out. I was an equal part of the drop and I want some of that money. Now y'all fools can have the dope and the weed, but that money, I need at least twenty bills outta there. Period.”

Face frowned. “Yo, you buggin'. Put them guns down.”

K-Rock smiled at me and I hated that all I could think about was how beautiful his teeth were.

“I ain't puttin' nothin' down, until you put my money up. You got at least a hundred grand in that bag. Now don't let me get Queenie in here 'cause you already know she'll keep all the dope, the weed, and take half ya money just on G.P. Now try me. I said twenty bills, but since you have pissed me off even more. I need twenty-one.”

They laughed.

“You think this is funny?” I knocked the safety off the guns. “And you think I'ma put back on my ski mask? And this is how you handle your business? Oh, you dead wrong. And K-Rock, don't let Face supe you up. 'Cause Face already know how I gets down.”

“You trippin'.” Face shook his head.

“No, you trippin'. Now cough it up.”

I watched them count out twenty one-hundred-dollar bills. “Now hand them to Schooly.”

Schooly turned over and sat up. Face handed him the money.

I put the safety back on the guns and set them on the dresser. I took all but three bills from Schooly. “You can have that.”

Then I turned back to Face and K-Rock. “Nice doing business with you.” I pointed to the rest of the goods. “Now back to your regularly scheduled program. Nah mean.” I hit 'em off with a smile. Walked back to my room, tossed the money on the bed, and giggled as I stretched my arms out and landed on it.

“I
SIS, THE POLICE HERE!”

“Whatchu talkin' 'bout, Willis?”
poured from the TV as Schooly flung my room door open, freakin' out. Tears a blink away from fallin' from his eyes.

I was in the middle of getting dressed for school when my heart fell through the floor.

I pulled Schooly into my room and pushed the door closed. Drew in a breath. And held it. Until it kicked its way outta my mouth.

I wanted to die. Right now. Right here. I couldn't believe it.

“Where is Daddy and Queenie?”

He hunched his shoulders. “They ain't here. And I'm scared. What you and Face do last night?” Schooly's eyes wildly combed me from head to toe.

Sweat bubbled across my brow, my nose, and my palms felt clammy. I whispered, “We did a lick, that's it. Some dudes was tryna move in on Face's turf. And we handled 'em.”

“They still breathin'?”

“Yeah, they breathin'. Unless somebody else sent the grim reaper. But we didn't.”

“You sure?”

I hesitated. “Wait. What? I know you don't think they here for me?! Do you?!”

Schooly shook his head. “No. I don't think they here just for you. I think they here for you
and
Face.”

“Don't be sayin' that!”

“Well, that's what I think.”

My stomach was balled into a knot that grew tighter by the moment. “Face here?”

“Yep. He's in our room asleep.”

“We gotta wake him up!”

I placed my hand on the knob, but before I could twist it, “POLICE OPEN UP!” blared from the other side.

“Schooly.” My eyes bugged and my breathing was heavy. “Why they sound so close? Did they knock the door down?!”

“No! Not this time. Last time I got hit upside the head when the door flew off the hinges. I wasn't gon' let that happen again, so I opened the door for 'em. They standing in the living room.”

“The living room?!” My stomach bubbled and dropped to my feet. “You let them in this house and yo' behind just had me confess?! What, you workin' wit' five-oh? They gotchu wired or somethin'?!” I mushed him on the side of his head and an ever-ready stream of pee split in two and zipped down both of my legs. I squeezed my inner thighs to hold back what I could. But, I knew at any moment that Schooly and I would both be standing in a puddle of piss.

I placed my palms on the sides of my temples and squeezed.

When I couldn't get a thought through I looked around my room from the faded white walls covered with smeared fingerprints and hip-hop posters, to my twin-sized bed, my wicker throne chair, the single dresser wit' the lopsided drawers and the clothes bursting from the top.

There was nowhere to hide in here.

I ran over to the window. There was no way I could get through the black iron security bars and even if I could, the cops had the courtyard blocked and their blaring blue lights lit up the morning sky.

“I can't go to jail!” Tears filled my eyes and I felt like taking my fist and pounding Schooly in his slow head with it. I promise you, even though he went to a special school, I never believed he was all-the-way retarded, until now. “Ugggggggggg! What the heck is wrong with you?! You not stupid. You a lil slow, but you not stupid. You don't open no door for no freakin' cops. Whyyyyyyyy would you do that?!”

“OPEN UP! AND COME OUT WITCHA HANDS UP!” The police hammered against my bedroom door and I knew from the last time they rammed the front door down and dragged Daddy out, that it was only a matter of seconds before they'd be doing the same thing to me.

Before I could decide what to do, “FREEZE! GET ON THE FLOOR AND PUT YOUR ARMS WHERE WE CAN SEE 'EM!” filled the room and the familiar sounds of shufflin' police boots muddied the air. Me and Schooly both hit the deck. I held both of my arms out. And Schooly did his best.

One of the officers walked over and stared down at us. “Get up! And turn around. Slowly.”

We did. And faced a room full of at least ten cops in dark blue uniforms and guns drawn. “Put your guns away,” the lead officer demanded.

They retreated and I wondered if they was about to handcuff me. Instead, the lead officer gripped me by the forearm and dragged me into the living room. Another cop dragged Schooly out behind me.

The cop who gripped me up curled his upper lip in disgust and spat, “Little girl, where is the derelict and the pimp at?” And he said that like derelicts and pimps was a problem for him.

I didn't answer, 'cause I didn't have to. I swear I could practically hear Schooly's thoughts, and when I heard him pull in a gulp of air, I whipped my head toward him and said, tight-lipped, “You bet not say nothin'.”

“And why not? What shouldn't he say?!” The cop pushed his chest into my face, the metal buttons in the center of his uniform shirt kissed my nose.

I took a step back and bumped into the wall behind me.

I looked up at the cop and slammed my hands up on my hips. “Whatchu want wit' my daddy and my brother?”

“Where are they? Are they out there in the street turning little girls into prostitutes?”

He trippin'. And he got me and my family
allllllll
the way twisted. Ain't no way I'ma let this pig talk about the Carters like that. Cop. Or no cop. I looked up and into this fool's peach-colored face and said, “No. They out turnin' yo' blue-eyed mama into one.”

I could tell I'd caught him off guard by the way he lifted his left hand, reared it back, and froze midway in the slap he'd obviously intended to lay across my face.

I flinched. Just a little. But then I did my best to regain my stance and boldly looked back into his face. “What you buggin' for?! They ain't here. Ain't nobody here but us! So you and yo' squad can leave! You don't have no right bustin' up in here. You don't have no warrant!”

“So then why am I here?” He paused. Sneered. Looked me over. “Huh? Answer me.”

I didn't.

He continued, “You know that your father and your brother is the reason I'm here, don't you? You know that we have warrants for their arrests, don't you?”

“Warrants? Psst. Please.” I shook my head in disgust. Pig stayed makin' things up.

The head pig continued, “You know that they been committing a string of strong-armed robberies don't you? Including the one they did last night, where they shot the gas attendant.”

Last night? Now I know they lying. 'Cause me and Face was out on a lick and Daddy was probably laid up and drunk at the clean-up woman's house.

The cop continued, “Now where are the scumbags at?”

I shrugged and did my best to hold a blank stare. “I don't know what you talkin' 'bout.”

“Oh, you know what I'm talking about.”

“All I know is that don't nuffin' you just said gotta do wit' me or my brother, Schooly. So whatchu messin' wit us for?! And you know you foul for even being in here right now!”

“What the hell is goin' on up in here!” Queenie spat as she charged into the apartment. She briskly walked over to me and snatched me from the cop's face. I was now standing at her side. “Get over here, Schooly!” Schooly did as he was told and we were now all standing together. Queenie peered at the cops. “Why are you in my house?!”

“They said they lookin' for Daddy and Face!” I spat out.

“And why is that?” Queenie looked at the cop who was tryna chump me.

I continued, “Talkin' 'bout Daddy and Face did some strong-armed robberies.” I twisted my lips. “Lies. Talkin' 'bout they shot some gas attendant last night. More lies. Straight bull. And to think they s'pose to protect and serve. Puhlease. And, Queenie, you already know Daddy was over there at Ms. Brenda's house last night with them two baldheaded lil babies he got, probably drunk. And me and Face was together. So they tellin' a bold-face lie. I swear to God, these blue fools stay trippin!”

“Where is yo' warrant?” Queenie spat.

The lead cop swallowed and then said, “Ma'am, we just need to speak to them. Ask them a few questions.”

“So you don't have no warrant!” Queenie shoved a hand up on her hip. “But my kids tryna get ready for school and you in here scaring 'em 'cause you wanna ask some questions. Get out!”

“Ma'am,” the pig said. “We have a reason to believe that your son and husband may have some information about a string of gas station robberies and a shooting last night. They are persons of interest and we need to ask them some questions. Now where are they?”

“I don't know where they are!”

“Queenie.” Schooly leaned into Queenie's ear, his voice trembling. “Face in the other room though.”

Without batting an eye, Queenie said to the cop, “Unless you got a warrant for they arrest, neither my husband nor my son will be talking to you or anybody else. Now get out!”

I swear I wanted to lay Schooly flat out with an uppercut. The cops ignored Queenie and walked to the back of the apartment, like they knew they way around here. They boldly flung Face's bedroom door open. All kinds of wrong.

“You cannot be coming up in here like this!” Queenie screamed. “You don't have no warrant and no right to be in here!” She blocked the doorway.

“Ma'am, if you don't move,” the lead officer said, “I'm going to arrest you for interfering with an investigation.”

Queenie still didn't move, but the cops pushed her slightly to the side and stepped into the room.

Face wasn't in the bed; he was hiding under it. “Come out,” the lead pig said, “or we gon' come for you.”

After a few seconds, Face slid from under the bed. The cops slapped cuffs on him and said, “We need you to come with us for questioning.”

“Then what you cuffin' him for?!” I screamed, but the cops didn't answer me.

I couldn't believe this was happening and it was taking everything in me, or out of me, not to body-slam Schooly. Actually, I couldn't believe that Queenie hadn't beat me to it.

The lead cop smiled at Schooly on his way out and said, “Thank you, young man. You were a great help to us this morning.”

Schooly grinned. “You're welcome. You know, I wanna be a cop when I grow up.”

The cop winked, and as his counterparts walked Face out, he said, “Good luck with that.” He paused and looked down at Schooly's arm. “Nice watch you got on, young man.”

“Thank you, my sister gave it to me—”

“Shut. Up,” Queenie said as she slammed the door behind the cops. And just when I thought she'd lost her touch and was a straight sucker, she backhanded Schooly so hard that his neck jerked back and I could swear that his head spun around and landed in yesterday.