A Gangsta Twist Saga (39 page)

“Me too,” said Red.

“Ride or die, baby,” replied Wild Bill.

“It is what it is,” added Keno.

“Don't think you're leaving me out of this mess!” said Tari.

Shaking his head no, Taz said, “You gots to stay ready for Won's mission, Tee. We can't put that in jeopardy behind this bullshit. You done handled your business, so let us take care of these wannabe drive-by-ass niggas.”

“Drive-by? Them clowns had assault rifles, Taz! They ain't playing, and they shouldn't be taken lightly. Go ahead and handle them, but do not for one second underestimate them. If you have to do them, then make sure that they're done,” she said in a deadly tone.

Taz smiled at her and said, “Got'cha!”

Tazneema was horny, and she just couldn't take being away from Clifford any longer. So, after Mama-Mama went to bed for the night, she threw on a pair of sweatpants and a T-shirt, grabbed her purse, and sneaked out of the house. Since her car was still over Mama-Mama's house, it was easy for her to make her temporary escape. She climbed inside of her car and put the gearshift into neutral and pushed her Camry out of the driveway. Once she had her car out into the street, she jumped inside and started the ignition. She smiled as she pulled from in front of her grandmother's home. She pulled out her cell phone and dialed Clifford's number, praying that he was at home. When he answered his phone, she said, “Get ready for me, baby. I should be there in about twenty minutes or so.”

“Stop playing with me, 'Neema! Are you serious?” he asked excitedly.

“Yep. I snuck out of the house. I won't be able to stay long 'cause you know Mama-Mama gets up before the crack of dawn. A couple of hours, tops, is all that we'll have.”

Clifford smiled and said, “That's a lot of time, baby. Hurry up!”

Tazneema laughed and said, “I'm hurrying!”

 

 

As soon as the sun had set, Taz and the crew went hunting. Earlier they had found three different streets where the Hoover Crips were known to hang out, so Taz decided to get at all three locations. He and Keno were inside of Taz's Denali, while Bo-Pete, Red and Wild Bill were inside of Bo-Pete's Navigator. Their destination was the corner of Twenty-third Street and Lottie Avenue. There was a paint and body shop that the Hoovers were known to hang at.

As they drove by the auto body shop, Taz saw a couple of gang members standing in front of the shop, smoking and drinking some Olde English malt liquor. He smiled as they drove down to the next block and made a U-turn with Bo-Pete right behind them. When Taz pulled in front of the gang members, he rolled down the passenger's side window and Keno said, “Hey, homies, y'all want to play with the big dogs?”

“What you say, cuz?” asked one of the young Hoover Crips.

“If you wanna play with the big dogs, you gots to know how to get your man!” said Keno as he pointed his 9 mm at them and shot each one of the Crips twice in their midsections.

Taz pulled away from the curb and made a right turn back onto Twenty-third Street as if everything was completely normal.

Their next stop was a half a mile on Twenty-third Street and MLK. This time when Taz saw the Hoovers standing in a small group, he didn't pass by them by. He stopped right in front of them and jumped out of his truck, followed closely by Keno. They didn't say a word as they started shooting every one of the gang members in their sights. The Crips that were lucky enough not to be hit by Taz and Keno on sight really weren't that lucky, because they ran right into more bullets from Bo-Pete, Red and Wild Bill.

Just as suddenly as the shooting began, it ended. Death was all around the corner of Twenty-third Street and MLK as Taz and the crew sped away onto their third and final destination.

 

 

Clifford and Tazneema were lying next to one another, bathed in their own sweat and completely out of breath. After Tazneema had made it over to Clifford's house, they made love until they felt as if they were going to pass out.

Clifford turned onto his side and asked, “Are you all right, baby? I lost control of myself. I hope I didn't hurt you.”

She smiled and said, “I'm fine, baby. I have to admit that I kinda forgot about my injuries. I'm sore as hell. I think my shoulders going to be killing me in the morning.”

“We shouldn't have done this, 'Neema. I need you back in tip-top shape. I'm sorry, baby.”

“Would you be quiet with all of that? I'm a big girl, Cliff. I'll be all right. Now, let me go take a shower so I can get back to Mama-Mama's before she wakes up and realizes that I'm gone,” she said as she climbed out of the bed.

Clifford smiled as he watched her sexy body sway back and forth as she walked into the bathroom. He relaxed back on his pillow, completely drained.
That girl is something else!
he thought to himself as he closed his eyes.

Ten minutes later, Tazneema came out of the bathroom wrapped in one of Clifford's towels. She smiled when she saw that he had fallen asleep. Just as she had finished getting dressed, the telephone rang.

Clifford reached for the phone on the nightstand without ever opening his eyes and said, “Hello.”

“Them niggas is gettin' at us, cuz!” screamed H-Hop.

“Wha—what are you talking about, Hop?” Clifford asked groggily.

“Cuz, them fools just finished blastin' up two homies on Twenty-third and Lottie! And then they served about seven of the homies on the corner of Twenty-third and Martin Luther King! After that, they caught six more of the homies slippin' on Thirty-sixth at one of the homeboy's bud spots. I'm tellin' you, loc, them niggas are on a fuckin' warpath!”

“How the fuck did they know to get at us? Them fools shouldn't have a clue about who put that work in!”

“Cuz, all I'm tellin' you is that the homies are mad as fuck! We got about twelve homies shot the fuck up!”

“Did anyone get smoked?” Clifford asked as he climbed out of his bed.

“Yeah, the first two homies that got hit on Lottie are dead. Them fools dropped them right on the spot. I'm tellin' you, loc, we gots to hurry up and get at them niggas! They ain't playin', cuz!”

“Calm down, cuz! Where are you now?

“I'm at the pad. When I heard about all of that fuckin' bustin', I got the fuck outta dodge,” H-Hop stated wisely.

“I'm about to get dressed and come scoop you, loc. Give me about twenty minutes.”

“All right, cuz,” H-Hop said, and hung up.

After Clifford hung up the phone, he didn't notice the funny expression on Tazneema's face. He jumped out of his bed and threw on a pair of jeans and a T-shirt. As he was tying his tennis shoes, Tazneema asked him, “Is there something wrong, baby?”

“Huh? No . . . uh . . . kind of, 'Neema. A few of my friends have been hurt tonight. I really need to go check on them.”

“You're in a gang, Cliff?”

“Huh? Baby, that's a long story, but to answer your question, not really is the best I can tell at this time. Gang-banging is a part of my past, though. I guess it will always be a part of me. I worked real damn hard to stay away from that part of my life, but here lately it seems like something or some unknown force is trying to pull me back to ‘cripping'.”

Shaking her head, Tazneema said, “No one can make you do something that you don't want to do, Cliff. It's solely on you, baby. If your heart's not in it, please don't destroy yourself by wasting your time with that craziness.”

He smiled as he stepped into her embrace and said, “Don't worry, baby. I won't. I'm just going over to show some support to my people and their families. Go on back to Mama-Mama's, and I'll give you a call in the morning.”

After sharing an intense kiss, Tazneema smiled and said, “I'll be back over here tomorrow night at the same time, 'kay?”

He returned her smile and said, “Good!”

 

 

After leaving the bloody scene on Thirty-sixth Street, Taz called Bo-Pete on his cell and told him, “Dog, let's split up. We'll get at y'all in the morning. If you have any problems before you make it to the pad, get at me. If I don't hear from either of y'all, then I'll know everything is everything.”

“That's straight,” Bo-Pete replied before he closed his cell phone.

Keno smiled and said, “That should show them punk-ass niggas that we are not to be fucked with.”

“Yeah, it should, gee, but I got a funny feelin' this shit has just gotten started,” Taz said seriously.

“What makes you say that, dog? They ain't gon' want to fuck with no niggas they know ain't playin' with they ass.”

“If that's the case, then why in the fuck did they get at us in the first place? I'm tellin' you, homie, somethin' just ain't right about all of this shit. I can't put my finger on it, but somethin' just ain't right.”

“Everything will be everything, my nigga. Watch. You'll see. Now, drop me off at the pad so I can go scoop Katrina and tap that ass a li'l bit,” Keno said, and they both started laughing.

The next morning, every news channel and newspaper in the Oklahoma City area was focused on the slayings of the night before. Local preachers were seen on television yelling about this sudden gang violence and how it has to stop before the black community is completely destroyed.

Taz watched the news as he sipped on some orange juice. He was waiting for the crew to arrive for their daily workout. Even though they had slacked up lately, he felt that it was time for them to get back to their normal routine. This sudden beef with the Hoovers was really bothering him. He wanted to make sure that they were at the top of their game for this unexpected and unwanted drama. He wasn't trying to go to anyone of his homeboys' funeral, and he damn sure wasn't trying to go to his own.

Sacha called him just before the crew arrived, and started rambling on about the same thing he was watching on television. “Isn't it sad the way these youngsters are out there killing each other, baby?” she asked.

“It is what it is, Li'l Mama. I'm not really concerned with that shit right now. I gots enough on my plate as it is,” Taz answered irritably.

“What's wrong with you this morning? Why is your attitude all funky?”

“I just told you, I got a lot on my plate. Why are you trippin'? Look, let me go. The homies just pulled up, and we're about to work out. After I finish with that, I have to go check on some of the IHOPs and some of my rental houses.”

“Okay, give me a call when you have some time,” she said then hung up the phone.

Since Taz was doing so well financially, he hardly paid much attention to any of the small food chains that he owned in Oklahoma City. He basically let his attorneys and managers take care of everything. He took pride in the fact that between himself, Keno, and the rest of the crew, they all owned a nice percentage of rental property in the Oklahoma City area—over one hundred homes apiece to be exact. Each member of the crew cleared close to two hundred thousand dollars yearly off their rental properties, so money was not an issue with any of them. Unfortunately, the Hoover Crips were.

Once the crew had made it down to Taz's built-in gym and began to warm up and stretch, Taz said, “I'm tellin' y'all, we're goin' to have to watch ourselves now that we've made our move against them niggas.”

“Dog, fuck them fools! They ain't gon' try no stupid shit,” replied Bo-Pete as he stretched next to Red.

“Yeah, after the demonstration we gave them niggas, they're probably somewhere licking their wounds,” Wild Bill said as he bench-pressed some light weight to loosen up his arms.

“Dog, we can't be underestimating these young niggas. Don't forget that they got at us first. Just because we gave them a li'l somethin' doesn't mean that they won't try to get back. All I'm sayin' is to stay on your toes when you're out and about. It's been a long time since we had any beef in town. I ain't tryin' to lose none of y'all. Feel me?”

“Yeah, we feel you, nigga. Now shut the fuck up so we can get our workout on!” Keno said, and everyone started laughing.

Taz smiled and said, “Fuck you, clown!”

They then started their intense workout for the day.

 

 

“I'm tellin' you, loc, we gots to get at them niggas!” yelled Li'l Bomb.

“I know, my nigga. That's why I'm trying to find out where that nigga Taz rests his head. A while back I got his tag number, so I gave it to a partner of mine who works for the Highway Patrol. I'm waiting on him to get back at me now. If he can give me that nigga's hookup, we'll be able to get at him at his pad. So relax, cuz. We're going to get them,” Clifford said confidently.

“Relax?
Cuz, them niggas smoked my nigga, Li'l Lights! If I wouldn't have went back into that shop, I would've been right out there with Li'l Light and C-Rag! They could have got me too! I'm tellin' you, cuz, I ain't really with this waitin' shit!”

“So, what are you going to do? Just ride around the town to see if you can get lucky and catch one of them niggas? I know you're hurting, loco. We all are. You're just going to have to remain calm until we can get something solid to move on.”

“Fuck this shit, cuz! I'm outta here! Hit me when y'all know somethin', H-Hop,” Li'l Bomb said as he left H-Hop's apartment.

“This is the fucked up part of the game, my nigga. You remember how it goes. Now we have to sit back and bury some more Hoovers. And that shit ain't even cool, cuz,” said H-Hop as he lit a cigarette.

“Yeah, I remember, loc. How could I ever forget some shit like that? Believe me, I can't wait until we get them niggas, cuz. I want them dead more than anybody else,” Clifford said seriously.

 

 

After Taz and the crew had finished their workout, they all went upstairs to Taz's kitchen and raided the refrigerator.

Red pulled some steaks from the freezer and threw them into the microwave to defrost them. “Y'all tryin' to eat some steaks or what?” he asked as he stepped back toward the refrigerator.

“Yeah, hook me up one of those bad boys,” Keno said as he sipped on a bottle of Evian water.

“Yeah, me too,” added Wild Bill.

“Nah, I'm good. I'm goin' to see if Sacha is down to do lunch. I'm not tryin' to be around you clowns all damn day,” Taz said with a smile on his face as he grabbed the phone and gave Sacha a call. When she answered the phone, he asked, “Are you busy, Li'l Mama?”

“Not really. I just finished a meeting with my paralegal. What's up?”

“Do you want to have lunch with me today, or are you still salty with me, boo?”

She laughed and said, “It seems as if I'm always going to be mad with you, Mister Taz. I'm kind of getting used to it. I'd love to have lunch with my boo. What do you have in mind?”

“Let's go get something to eat at the new spot in Bricktown. I think it's called The Daiquiri Zone. I heard they got the bomb hot wings. I know you can't do no drinkin', but Tari told me that their daiquiris are pretty good too.”

“That sounds like a winner to me, baby. I might not be able to drink any alcohol, but I can still have me a virgin daiquiri. Do you want me to meet you there, or are you going to come and pick up?”

“Yeah, I'll come scoop you in about thirty minutes. I just finished working out, so let me jump in the shower real quick and I'll be on my way.”

“All right, baby, I'll be waiting.”

Taz ran upstairs and took a quick shower. After he was finished, he put on a pair of loose-fitting Azure jeans and a fresh white tee. He then grabbed his new Jordan's and slipped them onto his feet. After hitting himself with a few spurts of his D&G for Men cologne, he grabbed his 9 mm pistol and slipped it into the small of his back. He turned and went to his dresser and grabbed his diamond Cartier wristwatch and his long 220-gram platinum chain with a diamond-encrusted Jesus piece and put it around his neck. Last but not least, he put his platinum and diamond grill inside of his mouth. He smiled a sparkling smile and said, “Lookin' like a million bucks, baby!”

By the time Taz came back down stairs, his homeboys were busy munching on their steaks that Red had prepared for them. When Keno saw that Taz was all spiffy he said, “Damn, nigga! You just goin' to get somethin' to eat! Why you get so clean on a nigga?”

Taz laughed and said, “Fool, I'm eating with wifey. She likes it when a nigga is lookin' and smellin' good. Stop hatin', clown!”

“Fuck you, nigga!”

“Look though. After I finish eating, I'm goin' to go check on some of my rental houses on the south side. What y'all got up for the day?”

“I'm goin' to go kick it with that nigga Bob,” Red said from the other side of the kitchen counter.

“I think I'm gon' hit the mall up and do me a li'l shoppin'. It's been a minute. I need me a few new outfits,” replied Keno.

“I'm tired as a muthafucka. I'm goin' to the pad and lay it down,” said Bo-Pete.

“Me too,” added Wild Bill.

“All right then, lock up the spot when y'all bounce, and make sure you messy niggas clean up y'alls mess. I'm outta here.”

“Dog, have you heard anything from that nigga, Won yet?” asked Keno as he wiped A-l Steak Sauce from his lips.

“Nah, I ain't heard shit from that fool. He'll holla when it's time though. You better believe that.”

“Yeah, I know.”

“All right then, my niggas, I'm out,” Taz said as he turned and left the kitchen.

By the time he arrived in front of the office building that housed the offices of Whitney & Johnson, Sacha was standing outside looking gorgeous yet businesslike in a brown pants suit. Her shapely figure could be seen, even though her pants were somewhat loose-fitting. She had her long, jet-black hair tied up in a bun. Taz smiled as he pulled in front of her and quickly jumped out of his car and opened the door for his fiancée. She smiled as she climbed inside of the car.

After he had gotten back inside of the Bentley, Sacha asked, “What made you bring the Bentley out today, baby?”

He shrugged his shoulders and said, “I don't know. I was in the mood to roll around with my Li'l Mama in a li'l luxury, I guess.” Truthfully, the real reason he chose to drive one of his other vehicles was that he didn't want to take the chance of being seen by any of them Hoover niggas in his truck. He was not about to let anything happen to Sacha. Not if he could help it.

They arrived at The Daiquiri Zone and enjoyed a lunch of hot wings and French fries. Sacha's appetite shocked Taz as he watched her totally devour a plateful of hot wings. “Damn, Li'l Mama! You kinda hungry, huh?”

After wiping hot sauce from her lips, she smiled and said, “You know I'm eating for two, baby.”

He laughed and said, “Yeah, I know!” He sipped his strawberry daiquiri.
I normally don't drink sweet fruity type drinks, but this one tasted pretty good,
he thought to himself as he stared at his fiancée.

Sacha noticed him staring and asked, “What?”

He smiled and said, “I want you, Li'l Mama. Do you have to go back to work? Or can you take the rest of the day off?”

She smiled seductively and said, “I've already taken the rest of the day off, baby. I was thinking the same thing as soon as I got off the phone with you.”

“Then hurry up and finish off the rest of those wings, so we can go to your spot and work up another appetite!”