The Dopeman's Wife: Part I of the Dopeman Trilogy (21 page)

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Authors: JaQuavis Coleman

Tags: #Fiction, #African American, #General, #Urban

BOOK: The Dopeman's Wife: Part I of the Dopeman Trilogy
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FOREVER
Chapter Thirty-one
Millie stared at the picture of her and Tical on her eighteenth birthday during the big bash he’d thrown for her. She cried as she stood in the window in her small apartment in New York City. She missed Tical so much, and although he’d ordered her murder, she still had respect and love for him.
Gunplay Murdock couldn’t bring himself to kill her and had ordered her to leave town, telling her that, if he ever saw her in Baltimore, he wouldn’t spare her life. Millie, hurt and confused, agreed to leave.
She gripped the picture and held it close to her chest as she stared into the projects playground where she’d spent a great part of her childhood.
Her body ached from the cravings of heroin, but she clenched her teeth and tightened her stomach as she fought through the pain. She would battle the withdrawal cold turkey, and when the day was right, she would return to Tical with a clean mind and soul. She even remembered Tical telling her that he would kill her before he saw her go through drug addiction again. Millie felt as if she was alone in the world, and the only friend she had was sitting on the counter and calling her name.
She glanced over at the heroin pack she had copped earlier and began to walk toward the table. The urge was too much for her to handle. She sat down in the kitchen chair, still holding the picture. She propped the picture up and stared at the photo. “I love you with all my heart, Tical. I’m so sorry,” she whispered.
She began to melt the drug in a metal spoon, glancing back and forth from the picture to the syringe as she filled the needle with the narcotic. As she grabbed the belt that sat on the table and began to tie it around her forearm, she envisioned the old crew—herself, Gunplay Murdock, and Tical—and all of the good times they’d shared over the years.
Millie slowly inserted the needle in her swollen vein and relaxed as she felt the warm sensation creep up her arm. She slumped in the seat when the magic of the drug began to melt her pain away. She eased out of the chair and on to the floor, going in and out of her nod.
Nautica walked out of the bedroom and down the stairs. She couldn’t believe she’d just killed Gunplay with a shot to his head. Before she’d shot him, he’d called her a lying, cheating bitch. She knew then that Tical had known about her lie that day. She walked at a snail’s pace and flopped on the couch in total shock, gripping the .22 in her palm. She dropped the gun on the floor.
Nautica opened her jacket, exposing the bloody hole that rested in her stomach. The gunshot wound to her midsection was bleeding profusely, and she felt her life slipping away. She and Murdock had shot each other at the same time, but her bullet had killed him instantly.
Nautica wanted to die, because life was too hard and just too difficult to bear. She thought about Khia, and how she’d caused her death. And about Millie. She hated herself. She thought maybe it was God’s way of punishing her for all that she had done. Slipping in and out of consciousness, she saw glimpses of her life, and then a bright light. But it wasn’t the doors to heaven she was seeing. It was Tical coming through the front door in a frenzy.
He rushed to her and grabbed her limp body, tears pouring down his face. He cried like a baby as he saw his woman barely hold on to life. Blood trickled down the side of Nautica’s mouth, and she appeared to force a smile as she looked into his eyes.
Tical’s whispered, “I’m sorry. I’m so sorry, baby.” He tried to put pressure on her wound, to stop the flow of blood.
Nautica tried to respond, but she couldn’t. Her breath became shallow, and her heartbeat got slower, and slower, and slower. It was too late. God was calling her home.
Right at that moment, five masked men armed with automatic assault rifles ran into Tical’s home. Then, a short, dark man with a cane and a slight limp came in.
Tical already knew the deal when he saw Black Pete, Church’s father. He didn’t even try to fight back or defend himself as the gunmen walked over to him, their guns drawn. He continued to cradle Nautica’s lifeless body and rock her back and forth. He kissed her cheek and closed his eyes, prepared to meet her on the other side. “I love you, babygirl,” he whispered.
Black Pete nodded his head, giving his gunmen the signal, and shots rang out as bullet after bullet ripped through Tical’s body, jerking him left and right each time a bullet hit him. Tical never let Nautica’s body go as he got filled with holes.
Once the smoke cleared, Tical and his woman lay dead in a pool of blood together, with over one hundred shell casings scattered on the floor. In death they eloped forever.
Questions for Book Discussion
1. Did the story end the way you expected it to?
 
2. Do you think Nautica got what she deserved in the last chapter?
 
3. If you were Tical, would you have given Nautica another chance after learning about all the lies and deceit?
 
4. Who was your favorite character? Why?
 
5. Did Loon really love Nautica?
 
6. Who was a better fit for Tical, Millie or Nautica?
 
7. Imagine you are in Nautica’s shoes and Loon approaches you with the threat of blackmail. How would you handle it?
 
8. Who was more your type, Tical or Zion? And why? For men, Millie or Nautica?
 
9. Would you like to read a sequel focused on Millie?
*Special shout-out to Coast2Coast readers, Reading Rendezvous, and OOSA online book clubs.
 
Please contact the author and tell your views and opinions at:
Urban Books, LLC
78 East Industry Court
Deer Park, NY 11729
 
The Dopeman’s Wife: Part I of the Dopeman Trilogy © Copyright 2009 JaQuavis Coleman
 
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any means without prior consent of the Publisher, excepting brief quotes used in reviews.
ISBN: 978-1-6228-6128-6
 
 
 
 
Distributed by Kensington Publishing Corp.
Submit Wholesale Orders to:
Kensington Publishing Corp.
C/O Penguin Group (USA) Inc.
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