Authors: Ashley Antoinette
Guilty Gucci (18 page)
“Oh my God! I thought I would piss on myself in there!” Chanel screamed. “How much did we get?”
Raegan shook her head and replied, “I don’t know ... I just kept stuffing the bags until they were full. Just drive, Chanel ... Worry about the money when we are out of this area.”
She kept waiting for sirens to blare in her ears, but she heard nothing. When they finally pulled up to the parking garage where they had parked the cars they had stolen from Nahvid, she breathed a sigh of relief.
They parked and Gucci began to wipe down the car, removing any possible fingerprints that they could have left behind as the other girls each took a duffel bag and headed toward their cars.
“Be careful and be smart. I’ll see you bitches in two hours,” Chanel said. They were all Southern bound but decided to take three different routes.
“Whoa! Wait! What about my cut?” Gucci asked before she stepped into her car.
“We’ll divvy up the money when we get to the spot,” Raegan said.
Gucci’s face fell in insecurity. She wanted to trust her friends, but in all honesty they hadn’t been friends for too long. She knew people who would snake their own mothers for the type of paper that they were dealing with. So to leave empty-handed without any assurance was hard to do. Both Chanel and Raegan saw the look of doubt in her eyes.
“You’re our sister, Gucci. We would never get you,” Chanel said.
Raegan held up her duffel bag. “We don’t have time to split it into three right now, but here,” she said as she handed her bag over to Gucci. “Take this one. I trust you, Gucci, and I hope by now that you would trust me. I’ll get my cut when I see you in VA.”
Gucci hugged Raegan and held her tightly for a brief moment. Raegan had just proven without a doubt that they were family. This thing ran deeper than a shallow friendship. Their backs were against the wall and the security of their friendship was all they had to keep them sane.
“See you soon,” Raegan said. “Be careful, Gucci.”
Gucci nodded her head and all three girls hopped into their cars and headed their separate ways.
Chapter Twenty
“Fuck is your mama doing?” Nahvid exclaimed as he sat with baby Micah cradled in the crease of his arm, while watching the scene of the bank robbery unfold before his eyes. Images of the three girls were all over every major news station. They had gotten caught slipping because they didn’t realize the bank had a backup video system set up in case of a robbery and now their heist was playing on every major network. He rushed to the phone and dialed her number only to be sent directly to voice mail. “Damn it, Raegan!” His temper flared at the thought of her reckless actions. Why had she chosen this path? He had given her a clear and safe way out, but she had left his offer on the table, abandoning not only their relationship, but her son as well.
What the fuck is she thinking?
he asked himself. “She’s moving all wrong,” he whispered. Although the police didn’t know the identities of the girls yet, Nahvid knew that it was only a matter of time before they were discovered. This wasn’t some local mom-and-pop, one-chain institution they had robbed. This was the city’s largest bank. There was no way the media or the Feds would let this one go unsolved. On top of that the bills that were stolen were marked so if Raegan spent even a dime of it anywhere in the United States, she would be caught. Even if the girls moved smart, the $100,000 cash reward for information leading to their capture was all the insurance the Feds needed to convince someone to come forward. Nahvid felt an overwhelming sense of fear for Raegan because if she was caught and tried to resist, court would be held in the streets. There was a strong possibility that he could lose her for good behind this and he shook his head solemnly knowing that he and baby Micah would be no good without her in their lives. The ringing of the phone blared in his ear and he answered it with urgency.
What the fuck is she thinking?
he asked himself. “She’s moving all wrong,” he whispered. Although the police didn’t know the identities of the girls yet, Nahvid knew that it was only a matter of time before they were discovered. This wasn’t some local mom-and-pop, one-chain institution they had robbed. This was the city’s largest bank. There was no way the media or the Feds would let this one go unsolved. On top of that the bills that were stolen were marked so if Raegan spent even a dime of it anywhere in the United States, she would be caught. Even if the girls moved smart, the $100,000 cash reward for information leading to their capture was all the insurance the Feds needed to convince someone to come forward. Nahvid felt an overwhelming sense of fear for Raegan because if she was caught and tried to resist, court would be held in the streets. There was a strong possibility that he could lose her for good behind this and he shook his head solemnly knowing that he and baby Micah would be no good without her in their lives. The ringing of the phone blared in his ear and he answered it with urgency.
“Yeah?”
“Yo, are you watching this shit?” Reason asked. He was astonished at the measures that Raegan was taking. He had to admit that she was truly one of a kind. He had never seen anything like it. Her gangster was unrivaled by any female he had ever met. “Them bitches bolder than a lot of niggas I know.”
“Look, I need you on top of this, fam. You moving too slow and every second you can’t find her she’s digging a hole for herself that keeps getting deeper and deeper,” Nahvid said. “I need you to do me this favor, Reason.”
“Yeah, yeah, I hear you, Nah. I’m all over it,” Reason returned unenthusiastically.
In his mind, Reason had already made up his mind. He was tired of watching the throne. He was about to take the muthafucka, but he couldn’t get rid of Nahvid until he knew exactly where he kept his work. Nahvid had never shared that information with Reason and until Reason secured his own coke connect, he would need the bricks that Nahvid had on deck. He knew that Nah was sitting on one hundred easy and he was too lazy to build his own shit up from the ground floor. He needed weight. So before he put his play down with Nahvid he needed to find Raegan.
If anyone knows where it’s at she do,
Reason thought.
If anyone knows where it’s at she do,
Reason thought.
Chapter Twenty-one
Gucci pulled up to her mother’s adult care home and got out cautiously. She knew that once she hit the highway and headed south that she wouldn’t be coming back. After what they had done too much was at stake to ever step foot in D.C. again. She knew that her girls were already safely on their way, but she couldn’t just dip on her mother without saying good-bye. She had to see her face and talk to her. Gucci wanted to say “I love you” before she left for good. It was risky, but it was something that had to be done. She would never forgive herself if just left her mother there without checking in on her first. Gucci parked in front of the building, nervously looking at her surroundings before she got out of the car. She popped the trunk and placed her duffel bag full of money inside. She unzipped it and took out a large stack, placing it into her purse before she headed inside. She bypassed the front desk and went straight to her mother’s room.
“Hi, Mama,” she said as she stepped inside and saw her mother sitting up in her bed playing with a deck of cards. She wasn’t playing anything in particular; she liked the colors that made up the kings and queens. They made her smile.
“Gucci!” she shouted as her entire face lit up as she recognized her daughter. Gucci hadn’t visited often. Running the streets with her girls had taken up too much of her time. Gucci had taken care of her mother all of her life, so when she met a group of friends who she actually connected with she just wanted to live. Gucci had been given the burden of responsibility at an early age, so being irresponsible and reckless felt good to her. But now looking at her mother’s face she could tell that she had missed her. In a lot of ways Gucci had been the parent and it felt like she had abandoned her child. “I missed my Gucci!”
“I missed you too, Ma,” Gucci whispered as she sat in the bed. She removed her shoes and put her feet up as she sat back against the headboard. “Do you like it here?” she asked.
“Yeah,” her mother replied in a childlike voice.
“Are they nice to you?” Gucci asked gently as she grabbed her mother’s hairbrush and began to brush her hair.
“Yeah, they are nice here, Gucci. I like it here,” she responded.
Gucci sighed in relief. She was glad that her mother was being treated well. There was no doubt in her mind that her mother would tell her if something was wrong. Gucci had taught her a long time ago to always speak up if someone was hurting her.
“I have to go away for a little while, Mama,” Gucci said, getting choked up. “I got into a little bit of trouble so I have to leave. You won’t see me for a while.”
“Can I come too?” her mother asked.
“No, Mommy, you have to stay here,” Gucci explained calmly. “I just wanted to say that I love you. I wanted to see you before I left. Gucci loves Mama. Can you say it with me?” she asked.
“Gucci love Mama and Mama loves her Gucci!”
Gucci laughed as she wiped away the stray tears that fell from her eyes. “That’s right ... my girl,” she said. She finished the braid that she had started and then put the brush back on the nightstand. “They are going to take really good care of you here, Mama. It will feel like a long time before you see me again, but just remember that Gucci loves you okay?”
Gucci’s mother nodded her head and Gucci stood up to leave. Everything in her wanted to pack her mother up and take her along, but Gucci didn’t know what the future held. She had to go alone. Taking her mother would be too risky for the both of them. Gucci paid up her mother’s bills for an entire year before she left and cried her eyes out until she reached the car.
Her leg shook the entire time she drove, only stopping for gas as she headed south. She wished she could have just ridden with one of her girls, but it was best if they stayed separated until they were in another state. The farther she got away from D.C. the heavier her chest became. After what she had done she would never feel safe going back. There would be a target on her back until she was caught and stepping foot inside D.C.’s limits would be like committing suicide. She finally made it to Norfolk, Virginia and pulled up to the motel that she had agreed to meet her friends in. She didn’t know if they were there yet. Neither Chanel nor Raegan had called her and as she waited inside of her room, curtains drawn, and gun fully loaded on the bed beside her, she prayed that everything was okay. Before her mind had the chance to run rampant she heard the knocking at her door that announced her friends’ arrival.
Gucci ran to the door and snatched it open eagerly.
“What took you so long?” she asked, staring at Raegan.
“Traffic,” Raegan said with a shrug as she hugged Gucci’s neck and entered the room. “Chanel isn’t here yet?” she asked, voice full of concern.
“I’m right here, bitches, and I’ve never been so happy to be in a crummy motel in my life,” she laughed as she threw the bag of money at Raegan and stepped inside. “Let’s count this shit up!”
Raegan, Gucci, and Chanel stayed up ’til 3:00
A.M.
counting and recounting the money, their hands enjoying the feel of so many dead presidents passing through them. They laid the bills out in $5,000 stacks until they came to the final tally.
A.M.
counting and recounting the money, their hands enjoying the feel of so many dead presidents passing through them. They laid the bills out in $5,000 stacks until they came to the final tally.
“That’s what two million dollars look like,” Gucci stated in awe when they were finally done.
“That’s a lot of money. Even when we split it, it’s still a lot of money,” Chanel whispered. The girls couldn’t fathom the fact that they had gotten away with so much cold, hard cash and they sat in a circle staring at the money ... afraid that if they went to sleep, somehow when they awoke the money would be gone.
“Let’s get some sleep,” Gucci said soothingly. “We have a long drive ahead of us tomorrow. We need to be well rested if we’re going to make it to Florida.”
“Does your friend know that we’re coming?” Raegan asked, turning to Chanel.
“No, but he won’t turn us away. He owes me,” Chanel confirmed. “All we have to do is get there.”
Gucci smiled as the ocean came into view as she drove closer and closer toward it. “We made it,” she whispered it disbelief as a huge weight lifted from her burdened chest. The drive to Florida had been a long one. Careful to steer clear of law enforcement the girls followed each other all the way down, leaving a few car lengths between them just to be safe. They didn’t stop, not even to use the restroom out of fear of being caught. Although their faces weren’t quite clear in the video being played on a loop on national news stations, they still wanted to move accordingly. They had to be smart because the tiniest slip-up would land them behind steel and bars. Gucci laughed out loud, releasing some of the built-up tension she felt as she banged her hand against the steering wheel in sheer happiness. “Thank you, God!” she exhaled. The odds had definitely been against them, but they all had made it through with enough money to last them a long time. The girls were about to hop on a boat to paradise and start an entirely new life. Not many people were rewarded with the chance to start over and Gucci was grateful. She was using the money that lay neatly stacked in the duffel bag beside her to purchase a new beginning. She trailed Raegan and Chanel as they drove closer and closer to the marina where Chanel’s boat connection was waiting for them. They were so close ... so close to freedom, but when she saw Chanel’s car fishtail out of control her smile instantly faded. Red taillights from the car filled her vision and she slammed her brakes to avoid hitting the back of Raegan’s car. They both came to an abrupt stop and Gucci hopped out of her car.
“What happened?” she yelled as she slammed her door and ran toward Raegan.
“I don’t know!” Raegan replied frantically. Both girls rushed to Chanel’s car and stopped dead in their tracks when they saw her leaning over the steering wheel with a dark crimson hole pierced her temple.
“Oh God!” Gucci yelled as she backpedaled away from the gruesome scene. It was then that the police made their presence known. They seemed to pop out of nowhere. They came from everywhere. Out of storefronts, on top of roofs, out of police cars. The strong gusts of wind blew their hair wildly in their faces as Gucci and Raegan looked at one another for answers.
“What do we do?” Gucci asked.
“I don’t know!”Raegan replied with tear-filled eyes.
“Put your hands up!” The words cut through the air as the lead detective warned them through his bullhorn.
Gucci and Raegan stood on the defensive, afraid to move, but more afraid to stand still and be caught.
“Fuck this!”Raegan whispered as she pulled out her gun and began firing, aiming at anyone in a black-and-white FBI jacket.
“Raegan, don’t!” Gucci yelled, but she was drowned out by the street serenade of gunfire as she watched her friend be gunned down. Raegan didn’t even get to empty her clip before she hit the pavement. Blood spewed out of her as bullets ripped her apart. The gunfire stopped and a silence that only death could feel filled the city block.
“No!” Gucci screamed as she ran to Raegan’s side. She grieved over her bloody body, taking her into her arms while whispering, “This is so fucked up. Everything is all fucked up.”
She never even felt the federal agents grab her up and put the handcuffs on her. All she saw was the news camera in her face as she heard a reporter ask, “Was it worth it?”
Gucci jumped out of her sleep in a cold sweat, the hairs on the back of her neck standing straight up as an eerie feeling came over her. Quickly reaching for the lamp she turned it on in a panic as her neck swiveled around the room. Her heart raced frantically as she breathed rapidly, feeling as though she was still in the realm of her nightmare. “It was just a bad dream,” she whispered. She looked over at her girls and saw that they were still sleeping, but rest was elusive for her. Gucci kept imagining the different ways that this thing could play out and none of the endings she conjured up in her head were positive.
The room was quiet, almost too quiet as if everything had been put on a standstill. She got out of the bed and walked over to the hotel window and what she saw made her legs give out. Gucci grabbed the windowsill to stop herself from falling as her eyes bugged in horror. Red, white, and blue police lights flashed silently as she watched the police accumulate outside in the dark.
“Get up, get up, get up!” she whispered as she rushed over to Chanel and Raegan, shaking them out of their sleep. “The police are outside!”
“What?” Raegan asked as she threw the covers off. “How did they know we were here?”
“The money! The money was marked! It had to be! Gucci, you paid for the room with the money from the bank?” Chanel asked frantically.
“Yeah, it was all I had,” Gucci admitted.
Chanel brushed past her and peeked out of the window. “We’re fucked,” she said in a low tone of despair, knowing that they had gotten themselves caught up. It wouldn’t have mattered where they went; as long as they were spending marked money, they would always be at a disadvantage.
“I’m sorry ... I didn’t know!” Gucci defended.
“None of us knew, Guch ... it’s okay. Any of us could have made the same mistake,” Raegan snapped. “I have to think. How are we going to get out of this?” she asked.
Chanel went to the duffel bag that she had carried and opened the zipper, revealing the weapons she had inside.
“I put them in here just in case. I figured if we ever needed them, they wouldn’t do us any good inside of that trunk,” she said. She began pulling them out and laid them across the bed.
“What are you doing? We just supposed to go all out? Against the police?” Raegan asked.
Gucci shook her head wishing that she were still dreaming. This wasn’t supposed to happen.
How could I have been so stupid?
she thought, knowing that whatever happened from this point on her life would never be the same.
How could I have been so stupid?
she thought, knowing that whatever happened from this point on her life would never be the same.
“We don’t have a choice,” Chanel said. “Look around you. We have three bags full of bank money in here and a bed full of illegal firearms. They’ll toss football numbers at us for this. I’m not going to jail. I’ll hold court right outside in that parking lot before they take me to jail.”
Chanel held out a pistol for Gucci and if she had any other choice she would have never have taken it, but this was the only way out. It was do or die. As she grabbed the gun out of Chanel’s hand, Raegan grabbed one from the pile and made sure that it was loaded.
“There’s FBI out there. No matter where we go they are going to find us,” Gucci said frantically.
“Listen ... My friend, he has a house in the British Virgin Islands. If we make it to Florida he can get us over there. The Feds can’t touch us once we’re out of the country. Once we go out that door we make our way to our own cars. If you make it out of the crossfire you meet me in Fort Lauderdale at the port day after tomorrow,” Chanel said, explaining thoroughly so that everyone had clear instructions.
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