Justify My Thug (23 page)

“Somebody better tell me something. And if they took my son, then where is the muthafuckin' police? Why y'all muthafuckas sittin' here so damn calm?” I was slowly but surely losing it.

Oni grabbed up Lil' Jaz and I turned to Damon. He was the only one who seemed to want to talk. “So what's up? Where's my son?”

“Look, sit down so we can fill you in.” Damon was getting upset.

“Nigga I don't want to sit down. I want to know where the fuck is my son. Talk muthafucka.” And talk he did. For the next fifteen minutes. By the time he finished, you best believe I was sitting down.

Mrs. Bankston came and took me into her office and sat me down. She said she had just called Nurse Wright and she was on her way over. The valley girl chick was seated next to Mrs. Bankston.

“Ms. Brown, we may have some good news for you. I want you to listen closely to what Keli here is about to tell you.”

Keli scooted her chair in front of me. She took my hand. “The name you are going by, that is not your name. Your name is Kyra. Kyra Blackshear. You were a medical student at UCLA. You are married. Don't remember his name, Michael, Marvin or something. But if I saw him, I would know him and you guys have a daughter. Her name is Aisha and a couple of times you even brought her up to the school,” she paused and smiled. “I remember all this about you because we took two semesters together.” The look on her face said that she felt sorry for me.

My head was starting to hurt as I was trying to force the memories forward but nothing was coming up.

“Kyra, do you remember anything she just said? Any familiarities at all?” Mrs. Bankston cut in.

Did I remember anything? I was trying to digest what she had just told me. Did this chick just sit here and tell me that I had a family? A husband and a daughter? She said I had a name. My name is Kyra. I could feel the tears welling up in my eyes.

“How sure are you?” I asked Keli.

“Kyra, I recognized you as soon as I got past the hair. You always wore it short. Very short. Trust me, you don't forget lab partners, two semesters back to back and especially not with Professor Jurr. So, I'm sure. One hundred and ninety percent sure.”

This time I allowed what she had just told me to sink in. I
wanted so badly to remember. I wanted to remember my husband and my daughter. My life. I couldn't take it anymore. She had my head reeling. I pulled my hand away from her. I needed to get away from these people who were telling me all about me. I stood up, knocking the chair backwards. I hurried out of the office and rushed to my room.

I tapped lightly on Kyra's door, well prepared. Mrs. Bankston and Keli had filled me in. All I could say was, “thank you Jesus.” My Savior may not come when you want Him to, but when He does, He's right on time. I opened the door to her room. She was laying across her bunk crying lightly.

“Kyra, can I come in? It's me, Nurse Wright.” She jumped up and rushed to the door. I stepped in and she hugged me, crying into my chest.

“Why can't I remember anything, Nurse Wright? Where is my daughter now? And if I have a husband, why didn't he come looking for me?” She sobbed.

“Baby, it's going to be alright,” I soothed her. “Now get yourself together and don't shed any more tears. The only tears I want to see are tears of joy. Don't worry because like Dr. Shalala said you will wake up one day and may remember everything in bits and pieces or all at once. But I hope that when your memory hits you it will be like the truck that smashed the roadrunner into that brick wall.” She started laughing through her tears. I teased her about that because when I saw her always watching cartoons I got worried. And when I asked her why, she said she liked the roadrunner and Wile E. Coyote because it reminded her to never give up.

“This is all too much, Nurse Wright. I'm thinking all kinds of things.”

“Baby, it's alright. Relax. Once you relax we can get to the next step.”

She took a few deep breaths and began to calm down. “I'm relaxed. What is the next step?” There was no doubt that she was eager.

“We have to go down to the police station and file a report. They will follow up with Keli's story, contact the college, your husband, you know, let them know where you are.” I felt her shudder and I could tell that she was petrified. “It will be fine. I'll be there for you, alright?”

It took her a minute but she finally said, “Alright.”

“Then let's do this.”

You could hear a pin drop after Oni told me how they were into everything from trafficking to kidnapping to guns and dope. I told Oni to bring me my daughter so that I could get the fuck outta there before I added four more bodies to my resume. Plus I needed to clear my head so that I could figure out how I was going to handle this. Them muthafuckas were greasy, they were punks and none of them had ever bodied a muthafucka. And as soon as my son returned, I was getting full custody. The fucked up thing was that after talking to them I felt like shit because Jaz was more than likely telling the truth about Oni's skank ass. And what did I do? Put my baby out on the streets. And to think I almost gave this bitch some dick.

Damn.

It was 6:12 a.m. but I was up studying when my cell rang. It was Faheem, so I let it go to voicemail. That nigga better not ever say another word to me, not in this lifetime. I looked at the text messages and of course his was right there on top. URGENT. CALL ME. If it wasn't for my daughter I would not have bothered to call him back.

“Is my daughter alright?” I asked as soon as he picked up the phone.

“
Our
daughter is fine. My son has been taken.”

I thought about what he said and was sure that I misunderstood him. “What did you just say?” I could have sworn that my husband, my rock, was all choked up.

“My son, Jaz. His mom is into some shit and they took my son right out of his bed while he was sleeping.”

I was up, on my feet and putting on my clothes. Despite the fact that I was furious with him, we were talking about a child. His child and my daughter's brother whose life was now in jeopardy. “I'll be right there.”

“Steele or Stone, if my son has one strand of hair on his head harmed, I'ma”—Big Mike had snatched the phone from out of my hand. No sooner than Faheem had stormed out, we got the call from the camp who burst into my house and snatched up my son.

“Steele, if there's a problem we bring it to the table and discuss it. I don't even know what all of this is about. But I do know, you wouldn't like it if I burst into your home and pulled some
bullshit like that. This shit is unnecessary. Let's meet, give me my nephew and then we can handle this shit like real niggas.”

“Put him on speakerphone, Mike.” I needed to hear the entire conversation. “Tell him I need to hear my son's voice. Let me talk to him, I need to know he's alright.” My brother waved me off and turned his back to me. Soon after the call was disconnected.

He turned to us and said, “They want what belongs to them and they gave us forty-eight hours.”

I was sitting there in shock at what Faheem had just shared with me. Now he was on the phone talking to Oni. Here I was thinking that this bitch was running a legitimate business and here they were moving weight and robbing the drug dealers that came through their hotels.

Faheem hung up the phone looking stressed as hell. I felt sorry for him. Here he had just came into his son's life and now this. It hadn't even been a good couple of months.

Faheem hung up the phone and said, “I have to make a run. I'll be right back.” He reached behind his waist and pulled out his Nine. “Take this. And if some muthafuckas come banging on the door, you shoot first and let God sort it out later.” He put the Nine in my hand and headed for the door. When he came downstairs, he headed straight for the front door and I was right on his heels.

“Did she say who the people were?”

“No, only that they were the people who took my son.”

“So what about the police? No one is going to call them?”

“I haven't figured it out yet, Jaz. It's going to be hard to call
the police and say my son was kidnapped because his momma stole money and drugs from the dealer. Like I said, let me clear my head and then I'll know if I'm going to call my people or just handle the shit myself. Now lock me out.”

I did. I stood there with my back against the door, looking stupid. I felt like I was on a movie set. This shit seemed so surreal.

I left Jaz at the house, drove around for about an hour to clear my head and then headed back over to Oni's. I was like, damn, just when I thought I was out, I get pulled back in. Hell, I probably will end up having to relocate. I had already made up my mind to do what I had to do with or without these niggas. We was talking about my son. I had sworn to myself, if something happened to him, his mother was going to pay.

Oni let me in the house and as soon as she shut the door, she started that crying bullshit. “Pull yourself together. Crying ain't going to do shit to get my son back. You should of thought about that when you made your moves.”

“I know that, but I can't help it.” Since she saw that she wasn't getting any sympathy from me she turned around and I followed her into the kitchen.

Her three brothers and nephew were sitting at the kitchen table as if they was actually coming up with a plan.

“Look, I'm here to get as much info from y'all as possible. I just want to get my son back. I need to know who these niggas are and where they set up at. But I was also wondering since y'all dealt with them before, will they accept what y'all took back and call it a day? Or will they want war?”

“Man fuck them niggas!” her nephew spat.

“What the fuck is wrong with you? They got my son and you talking about fuck them?” I yelled.

“I didn't mean it like that. Shit, that's our nephew and we want him back too. I was just saying, don't let them dictate what moves we make. I am a cop. I can make some things happen.”

I cocked my head to the side. Did this nigga just say out of his mouth that he's a cop? He picked up on my reaction.

“My auntie didn't tell you I was the law?” He looked over at Oni.

“Nah, she didn't. But since you are supposed to have some connections then simply give these people what they want, get my son back and let's call it a day.”

“We can't. We talking about five hundred thirty thou and it was 100 kilos. We can't,” Oni said. “The kilos have been sold and the money divided amongst us. I put all my share into some rental properties. It would take me months to liquidate.”

“Can't? Can't? Bitch, we talkin' about my son.” I banged my fist on the table. “I don't give a fuck! Somebody better start diggin' some money up, right the fuck now.” You could have heard a pin drop if it wasn't for me breathing all hard. I needed these bama muthafuckas to see and understand that I was ready to take it out of their asses. “Let me ask y'all a question. Do you think it matters to this nigga about the keys? Can we just pay him for the 100 keys or is he on some bullshit saying he wants the drugs back and not the money?”

“Faheem, wait. Listen. We do have a plan,” Oni said. She paused waiting to see if I was going to say something.

“Impress me, shit. Something y'all muthafuckas have yet to do. Speak.”

“We was talking about it before you got here. The cat Steele is a youngin' on the come-up, but we can get him out the way. We need you. I need you to set everything up. All you have to do is listen and my brothers will tell you everything you have to do,” Oni said.

I couldn't believe this bitch. She spittin' this bullshit plan to me as if this ain't her son too. What mother would put their own flesh and blood on the table. I see why I chose Jaz over her. I should have made the bitch choke to death on my dick.

After she finished flapping her gums about this bullshit that they want me to do, I looked around at these crazy muthafuckas as if they had just sprouted ten heads. Here they were ready to take a chance with my son's life as they used him as a pawn. I was livid and they saw that.

“Our plan, it will work. I know this dude, Faheem,” Damon said. Just hear me out and I'll tell you why we have to do it like this. And I'll tell you why it will work.”

Someone kept calling the house phone and hanging up. I got my baby up, we went into the garage and jumped into the car and headed over to Oni's.

When I pulled up, I saw all of the cars in the driveway so I called Faheem. “Baby, I'm outside. Someone kept calling and hanging up so I didn't want to be there by myself. It could be nothing but I wasn't taking any chances.”

“I'll be right there.”

As soon as he came to the car I asked him, “Is everything alright? Who does all of those cars belong to?”

“Her brothers. I told you the whole damn family is involved in this bullshit.” Faheem grabbed my hand and led me into the kitchen.

“This is my wife. She said somebody kept calling the house and hanging up. Oni, you think these niggas been following you?”

“I don't think so. If they have, I've underestimated them,” the bitch had the nerve to say. I swear I wanted to spit in her face.

“Daddy, can I go and play with Faheem?” Lil' Jaz asked me. Everybody got quiet.

“Your brother is sleeping over at a friend's. I'll take you into the living room. You want to watch TV or play a video game?” Oni quickly said, obviously doing what she did best … lie and deceive. I did not want this shiesty ass bitch touching my child, but since Faheem was in war mode I gave her Lil' Jaz.

Faheem pulled a chair out for me and I sat down at the roundtable. I looked around at who was in the crowded room. When I focused on the brotha sitting in the corner, I did a double take. It was the detective who planted that shit in my car. The next thing you know I was up on my feet.