Payback Is a Mutha (23 page)

“What do you mean, you got caught up before?” Angel quizzed.

“That’s a whole ’nother story.”

“We got time,” Kyra added.

“I’ll tell y’all, but first let me throw this out there.”

“Oh, gosh. Now she’s gettin’ ready to get all philosophical and shit,” Jaz joked.

“No, check this out,” Roz said, puffing on her joint. “What’s up with this picture? We are all intelligent sisters, right?”

“Right,” they all agreed.

“We all are fine, right?”

“Right,” they all said again.

“We all got college degrees, right?”

“Right.”

“So why do we attract the niggas that’s out there pimpin’, slangin’, bangin’ and ballin’? You know what I mean? Why not the niggas who are professionals: doctors; lawyers; investment bankers, and niggas like that? Y’all feel me?”

Everyone was silent. They were replaying in their minds what Roz had just said. Angel puffed on her
joint and looked around at everybody, “I think it’s because we’re young, we’re fine, and the ballers…well, that’s what they chase. But I am with Roz, I am through with that lifestyle.”

“You got a point,” Kyra said. “But we’re attracted to them just as much as they’re attracted to us. Y’all know them hustlin’, thuggish niggas turn us on. So don’t front.”

“Yeah, that’s true. But at the same time if we hung out around the professional brothers, we would be attracted to them. If they hung out around us, they would be attracted to us. It depends on what and who you want. It seems like most women look for the thug in every brother. Baller, hustla, slanger or professional, thug me out, baby!” Jaz drooled. “Take charge, baby!”

“Right! Right! That’s what I like about Trae. He likes to run shit. Take over. I don’t know about the next ho, but that shit turns me on,” laughed Roz. “I know I don’t want no weak-ass, pushover nigga.”

“Turns you on? Look at me. I was sprung over a pimp. I was crazy about him. He was always runnin’ shit. And now Bilal has been trying to push up on me, but I’ve been duckin’ him out big time. I’m scared of that nigga. I won’t even tell him where I live. Plus, I’m a lawyer now, I can’t be fucking with them criminal niggas anymore,” Angel said.

“Yeah, he came over here a couple of times to see Marvin. He’s a fine black brotha. I heard he’s a ho with your baby momma drama, so you better keep ducking him out if you don’t wanna get caught up. At least we attract all the fine niggas, even if they’re thugs,” Kyra said, bursting with laughter.

“Take the weed from her,” Roz snarled. “Ain’t shit funny. This is serious.”

“It’s funny to me!” she said and kept on laughing. Then they all started laughing. Roz crawled over to Kyra and took the joint then went over to Jaz and took hers.

“Y’all not supposed to be smoking anyway,” Roz snapped.

“Come on,
Tash,
” Jaz joked, “this is the first time I got high since I’ve been pregnant.”

“Don’t call me Tash. Only one person is allowed to call me that.”

“Well, excuse me,
Tash,
but since you’re so serious, tell us about you getting caught up out there. How come you never told us that story?”

“The same reason you didn’t tell us about you cooking meth for the last year or so. You feel me?”

“I feel you,” Jaz whispered.

“What’s up with your case anyway? I still can’t believe you did that shit,” said Angel, getting into lawyer mode.

“I was sentenced to seventeen years,” Jaz answered. “Faheem paid a sentencing lawyer to make sure that I don’t start my sentence until after I have the baby. Then I have to self-surrender.” She leaned back into the recliner. “Then he paid a lawyer to handle my appeal to make sure that I can remain out on bond pending the outcome of the appeal. Just getting the damn thing heard can take anywhere from six months to two years.” She took a gulp of her grape juice.

“Seventeen years? You didn’t want to sign the fuckin’ plea bargain?” Roz wanted to know.

“Girl, fuckin’ with Faheem, his motto is ‘death before dishonor.’ He said to trust him and do it his way or take the highway. So here I be.”

“I have to give it to you. You sure are handling it
well,” Roz told her. “Putting your life in a nigga’s hands.”

“Shit! I wasn’t at first. I was stressing like crazy until Faheem threatened my ass. He told me that if something happens to his baby because of me stressing, it wasn’t going to be nice. So I said, ‘Fuck it. I’ma chill the fuck out. You want to run thangs? Then go right ahead, my brotha.’ That’s why I’ve been chillin’. If things don’t turn out right, I’ma fuck him up and go to prison for some real shit!”

“Girl, you silly!” Roz told her.

“Silly? I am dead serious.”

“Now see,” Roz said, sitting up, “you and Kyra, y’all’s shit is rare. Like some storybook shit. Dude gets in the game. Dude gets legal. Dude gets out of game. Dude gets girl. Dude marries girl. They have kids and live happily ever fuckin’ after. Wait! Let me back up. Dude is a good man. Dude loves girl. Dude don’t fuck around on girl, causing a whole lot of drama. That shit is one-in-a-million odds, like hitting the fuckin’ lottery!”

“Wait!” Angel said, holding up both hands. “Don’t leave out, dude can fuck! Dude can keep a hard-on until girl comes. And comes. And comes again.” They all started laughing. “I ain’t mad at y’all. Because I know I’ma get mines one of these days.”

“Me neither. I ain’t mad at y’all. I got a feeling that Trae is all of that,” Roz said.

“Why is that, Tash?” Jaz asked jokingly.

“None of your business! But one thing for sho’: If he ain’t all of that, I’ma clown his ass big time. And stop calling me Tash!”

“Oh, so you do plan on allowing him to hit it?” Kyra asked. “Bitch, you need to slow your roll!”

“Chill out. I’m still investigating. Basically I’m just waiting until I’m ready. Plus, I want to see how bad he wants me, how patient he’ll be. Shit, I don’t know what the fuck I’m planning.”

“Oh, so you got it like that?” Angel asked. “You need to make up your mind. You just said you were done with that lifestyle, but at the same time you’re plotting and scheming. What, do you think you can have your cake and eat it, too?”

“Yes, I do. So when are y’all getting married?” Roz asked, putting her foot on Kyra’s knee, trying to change the subject, because she really had mixed emotions on the situation.

Kyra pushed her foot down. “I’m not sure when I want to do it. Marvin told me to let him know when I’m ready. What about you?” Kyra looked at Jaz.

“We’re waiting until Faheem’s dad comes home next May. He’ll have done nine years.”

“Dayum,” said Roz. “Everybody is trying to get their hustle on and they’re just locking us away and throwing away the keys. And that’s another thing. See…”

They cut Roz off. “Oh, gosh! Here she goes again,” everybody sang at once.

“Naw, for real, y’all, listen. See, everybody is trying to survive. Them. Us. We go after the ballers because they’re obviously trying to survive. Nobody wants to be all poor and shit, suffering. Folks are chasing that American dream that’s on TV. Now, I’ma be quiet.”

“Yeah, right! You said that two hours ago,” Kyra said. “What about our graduation party? Y’all wanna have it here?”

“Of course, I thought that was already decided.” Jaz responded.

“It was,” Angel said. “Just don’t invite the whole city. And, Kyra, don’t have that baby until afterwards.”

“I’ll do my best,” Kyra answered sarcastically.

“Okay, Tasha. We’re giving you the floor again. Tell us this big secret that you keep trying to keep to yourself.” Jaz leaned back and waited.

Everybody turned toward Roz. She fell back onto the floor and stretched her long legs onto the arm of the chair. “This shit better not leave this room,” she warned.

“F
uck the groom! I’m here for the bride, she’s my woman. Can you tell her Snake is here and he needs to talk to her?” As if on cue his boys came inside. There were five of them and every one of them was strapped.

“Snake? You’re Keenan, her ex!” Trina glared in disbelief. He gave her this look that said,
What the fuck you think?
When she got the message she made a mental note of all the niggas he had there for backup. “Aiight, then. Wait right here and I’ll go get her.”

“Yeah, you do that,” he said to Trina’s back as she walked away.

“Ooooohhh, shit! Ooooohhh, shit!” Trina kept mumbling as she wove around and in between the many hotel guests as she was trying to rush to the elevator. “Ooooohhh, shit! That nigga is alive and kicking!” She kept banging on the
UP
button as if that would make the elevator move quicker. She looked up to see what floor they were on, but only one of the elevators was moving. The other one ap
peared to be stuck on the eighteenth floor. She kept pressing the
UP
button. When it finally opened she pushed her way on without even giving the guests an opportunity to get off.

“Excuse you!” a young sister shouted at Trina as she mean-mugged her.

“Bitch, this is New York and you’re excused!” Trina shot back.

“Trina, why you always gotta start some shit?” Jaz teased. “And what’s up, who got your G-string all in a bunch?” Jaz was all hugged up on Faheem. They were the last two to step off the elevator.

Trina grabbed Jaz’s arm. “Aw, shit. Come here, y’all. Y’all ain’t gonna believe this shit! Guess who’s here?” Jaz and Faheem just stared at her, both of them obviously not up for any guessing games. Sensing that, Trina yelled out, “Muthafuckin’ Snake! That nigga is in the building!”

“Snake!” Jaz and Faheem said simultaneously. “Who the fuck is that!” Faheem needed to confirm. “Not Snake. You mean the pimp? I thought he was dead.” Faheem had a puzzled look on his face.

“You and everybody else! It is on now!” Trina said, ready for some drama.

“You sure it’s him?” Jaz was skeptical. “How do you know it’s him?” she pressed. None of them noticed that they were just riding the elevators as if they had no destination. Surprisingly no one got on.

“It looks like him. He said it was him and he said for me to go get his girl.”

“That’s impossible.” Jaz was shaking her head no. “What you been smokin’? You up here imagining things and shit.”

“Imagining? I didn’t imagine that he had five niggas with him and I know they’re carrying some heat!”

“What?” That got Faheem on full alert. “Aw, hell no!” Faheem was looking at Trina to see if she was for real. Jaz could see Faheem’s killer qualities kicking in.

“Faheem?” Jaz said as she squeezed his arm.

“Where’s Kay?” he asked Trina, referring to Kaylin.

“I think in Angel’s room.”

“I need to go holla at him.” He hit the button to the suite level. “Trina, go get Kyra. I’ma go tell Angel.”

“Naw, you go get Kyra. I’ma go tell Angel. I’m not missing this!” Trina stood next to Faheem. “Later for Kyra. If I was you I’d go with the rest of us.”

“Kyra is her cousin. She needs to be there.” Jaz was getting agitated with Trina.

When the elevator doors opened they followed behind Faheem to Angel’s suite. They heard laughter from behind the door. Faheem knocked as if he was the Po Po.

Kyra opened the door. She had tears in her eyes. Everyone looked behind her and immediately knew why she had tears of joy cascading down her cheeks. Angel looked simply stunning. She was glowing as the photographer snapped pictures of her and Kaylin, then the bride by herself, then the bride and groom with all of the parents.

“Yo, Kay! I need to holla at you, man.” Faheem didn’t care about interrupting as he stepped inside the suite.

“Hold up.” Kaylin kissed his moms on the cheek and walked her to the door.

When Kaylin came back to the bar area, Faheem said, “Get your wife.”

“Get me for what?” Angel was already right be
hind Faheem and immediately detected the tension in his voice.

“We got a problem.”

“Damn. What now? We gonna start in exactly fifteen minutes,” Kaylin said. “Whatever it is will have to wait until my day is over.”

“Y’all got some unwanted guests and niggas is packin’ that heat. I don’t think that can wait. I suggest you get your squad ready,” Faheem warned Kay.

“Them niggas stay ready. But I need to know who the fuck is tryna throw salt on my wedding and why I gotta get my squad in place.”

“Me too,” Angel chimed in.

“That nigga Snake.”

“Snake?” Angel and Kaylin both said, confused.

In the meantime on the eighteenth floor…

Tasha was riding with one of her twin sons, Shaheem, on her hip, while glad to be spending some time with her little brother, Kevin. “I miss you, you little punk,” she teased.

“I miss you, too, you big punk.” He looked at his sister in admiration.

“I worry about you all the time, Kevin.”

“Don’t do that, ’cause what’s gonna happen is gonna happen.” As soon as Kevin pressed the
UP
button the elevator doors opened and their eyes went to Trae lying on the floor bleeding.

Kevin mumbled, “What the fuck?”

“Oh, my God! Trae!” She shoved Shaheem into Kevin’s arms, who was just standing there. “Get my baby outta here. He can’t see this!” she screamed. “Give me your cell phone. Oh, my God!” She kept
her eyes on Trae as she dialed 911. “Trae baby.” She knelt down beside him as she felt his weak pulse. “Trae baby, don’t do this to me. Don’t you do this to me! I need an ambulance to the Hyatt Regency.” She spoke firmly into the cell. “We’re on the eighteenth floor in the elevator. My husband is bleeding, his pulse rate is probably about thirty-eight, his breathing is very shallow, and…” As she put her ear to his chest, she said, “I can’t tell if there is bubbling in his lungs. I think I’m losing him!” she screamed into the phone. “He was shot in the chest and leg and I think the shoulder or arm, I can’t tell, there’s so much blood.” She noticed that his gun was lying next to him. She ran her finger over the barrel and it was still warm. “Please hurry!” She ended the call while tearing a strip off the bottom of her dress. She tied it as tight as she could around his arm, went under the armpit up to the shoulder. Then she tore another piece off and tied it tight around his leg. “Trae, if you can hear me, I love you, baby, and you’re a fighter. I need you to fight. Fight for me, baby. Fight for me and our boys. We need you, baby. I can’t do this without you. Don’t make me do this without you. Do you hear me, Trae?”

I hear you, baby.
Trae was talking to her, but no sound or words were coming out of his mouth. He felt as if he were floating out in orbit.

“Stay with me, baby.”

I’m with you.

Just then hotel security came off the elevator. “Holy shit!” He pressed the
TALK
button on his walkie-talkie and said, “They’re here on the eighteenth floor in the B elevator. Blood is everywhere.”

The shooter obviously had pressed the emergency
STOP
button. So hotel security got on with them, hit
ting the same button. “We’re coming down to basement level now,” he said as he hit the B2 button. “The ambulance is waiting, ma’am,” he said to a crying Tasha, who had Trae’s head resting in her lap. He had never seen a live and up-close gunshot victim before.

“Okay,” she mumbled. “Please, baby, don’t die on me,” she whispered.

When the elevator doors opened, the paramedics rushed inside. “Ma’am, we need you to step outside please.” The older paramedic helped her up. “Is this your husband?” She nodded yes. “We need to get him stabilized. You said he was shot?” He noticed the tourniquets that she had made and was impressed.

“I think three times.” She watched as they ripped his clothes off and set up an IV line, all with tremendous speed. She heard them say “One…two…three…” and he was on the gurney being loaded into the back of the ambulance. When Tasha tried to climb up onto the back with them the older paramedic shook his head no.

“What are you shaking your head no for? That is my husband and you best believe that I will be riding with him.” Tasha was about to lose it.

“This is a high-trauma case, ma’am. We need to be alone with the victim,” the older paramedic told her.

The two other paramedics were working on Trae as the female paramedic tried to calm Tasha down. But she was holding on tight to the back of the ambulance door.

“You’re wasting precious time, ma’am.”

“Fuck you! That is my husband and I’m not leaving him!”

“Ma, what the hell happened?” Omar, Trae’s cousin,
apparently had been running. So was Kevin and two other guests, because they were right behind him.

“They shot him, Omar, and these muthafuckers are tryna tell me I can’t ride with him. They got me fucked up! I’m riding!” She climbed up onto the back of the ambulance. She screamed, “Don’t you touch me! Don’t fuckin’ touch me! I am going with my husband!” She was spookin’ the older paramedic who was trying to grab her arm.

That’s right, baby,
Trae was saying.

“Kevin, I need my purse. Meet us at the hospital.”

“Which one?” Omar looked at the older paramedic.

“Right down the street.” And he closed the ambulance doors.

Omar took off to get his car. Kevin went to get Tasha’s purse.

“Oh, God, please.” She closed her eyes and prayed as they went to work on Trae. She hoped that when she opened her eyes this would have all been a nightmare.

“C’mon, people, we’re losing him!” the older paramedic yelled, snapping Tasha out of her trance.

“Damn you, Trae, don’t you do this! Don’t you die on me!” she cried. “Fight, baby!”

I’m trying, baby. It burns. It feels so good when I don’t fight. It feels like I’m floating.

“Fight for me and the boys. Don’t forget we have another one on the way. I need you, baby. We all need you. You are my world,” she said back as if she could hear his thoughts.

I love y’all more than anything. You are the best thing that ever happened to me. Y’all are what I live for, baby. But I did a lot of bad shit in the past so now I gotta reap all the bad shit that I’ve sown. I
want you to stop crying. You know I don’t like it when you cry. I love you forever.

“Trae, don’t you do this! I need you to stay with me.”

The heart monitor was getting slower, his vitals were dropping. She didn’t want to believe that he was going downhill.

“This is too much of a blood loss!” the female paramedic said.

“Is he gonna make it? He’s gonna make it, right?” Tasha was grasping for any ounce of hope.

“I can’t promise you anything, ma’am. We’re losing him fast.”