Betrayal (4 page)

“Besides,” Ace shrugged as they walked from the airport terminal to the parking lot. “You saw how shaky shit got out there on them L.A. corners. Even the Crips and the Bloods went into hiding.”

“That’s because them Cali niggahs fucked shit up!”

“Yo,” Ace exploded with frustration. “It wasn’t us! Rabb already explained that shit, niggah! How many times you gotta be told the same damn thing?”

Ace’s cousin Rabbit had been real nervous when they swung by his crib to tell him his manz had fucked up their job.

“Word, my niggahs didn’t fuck it up,” Rabb had insisted. The thick-necked, brawny killer had snatched Ace and Pluto off his porch before they could ring the doorbell, and they had sat dumbfounded in his darkened living room as he peered out through his closed venetian blinds like a scared little bitch.

“Somebody beat my dudes to it, that’s what happened,” Rabbit told them. “Word on the block is that ya boy Gino made some enemies around here. He caught the attention of a click outta Compton. They prolly the ones who put him down.”

Ace had bucked. “So what? Y’all niggahs suckin’ Compton dick now? Them niggahs got you peeping out ya window and holding ya nuts now?”

Rabb had frowned and shook his head. “Nah, fuck them sherm-ass Compton niggahs,” he said quietly. “Don’t nobody give a fuck about that set. It’s them white boys everybody is checking for right now. Them
mafia
niggahs. I heard they out there
stalking
dudes. Them fools is on the prowl.”

“Over what?”

“Not over what. Over who. They looking for ya boy’s shooter, man. And when they find him they gonna lay him and his whole posse down. Ya boy Gino was they niggah. He was protected. Wasn’t nobody supposed to touch him.”

Ace and Pluto had given each other a smirked-out New York look. Neither one of them believed that bullshit. G had always been in deep and smoove with several Mob families, and Gino wasn’t big enough to spark their interest or their protection. It just didn’t make no sense.

Nah, this wasn’t that type of crime, Pluto concluded as they walked around the airport parking lot searching for their whip. If the boyz they hired didn’t do it, then the local click that was gunning for Gino prolly did. Yeah. The bullet that hit Gino had some Cali niggah’s fingerprints all over it. He was almost sure of it.

CHAPTER 4

Mad as hell didn’t even describe what Monique was when Ace and Pluto came back to New York by airplane. The plan had been for them to leave their whip at the airport and fly out to the West Coast. Once they got their hands on the cash, they were supposed to buy a truck and transport G’s money back home.

But a quick call to Pluto verified that once again, all Monique’s dreams had been slain. Them niggahs had just flown in on a plane to LaGuardia, and Monique knew there was no way in fuck they had rolled outta L.A. carrying more than half a million dollars in their check-on luggage.

And that meant they had failed.

Monique was past mad. She was furious. She shoulda known better than to send two stupid men to do a smart woman’s job! Them bumbling-ass niggahs had gone all the way to California just to come home empty-handed. And not only didn’t they get the money, they didn’t get that bitch Juicy neither.

The death-look on Pluto’s face should have been enough to check her tongue when he walked in the front door, but Monique was too far gone to value her life.

“What do you mean somebody shot him?” she demanded when Pluto told her Gino had taken a hot one.

“Just what I said. That niggah got popped. He’s in the hospital. They got po-po posted on him and ere’thang.”

Monique’s eyes narrowed. “And what about Juicy?”

Pluto shrugged as he took off his shoes and wiggled his cheesy toes around in the air.

“She’s in the same hospital. She got hit too.”

Monique couldn’t bear to believe this shit. What had she done to deserve this? Why couldn’t she get the things she wanted out of life? What kinda fucked up luck did she have?

“So, you mean to tell me that all that money…” she breathed heavily in anger. “All that fuckin’ money they stole from us…
they still got it?
”

Pluto didn’t answer. He picked up his shoes and started walking toward their bedroom.

But Monique wasn’t finished. Hell no, she wasn’t.

“Hold up,” she said, walking behind him. “So, you telling me that after all that work I put in, fuckin’ with that crazy-ass Salida, pumping Nae-Nae’s dumb ass for information and then calling every fuckin’ florist in L.A., …after all that fuckin’
work
, you and Ace lose ya heads and shoot Gino’s ass, but neither one of y’all is smart enough to make him give up the cash first? Damn, Pluto! What the fuck is wrong with you? You was supposed to have this shit all planned out!”

She didn’t even see the first blow coming. Pluto had already walked past her when he swung. That big-belly niggah pirouetted on his toes like a fleet-footed ballerina.

His four fat knuckles drilled into her temple, dropping her to her knees. Monique could only clutch her head and gasp for air. The scream she wanted to let out was pushed back down her throat by Pluto’s knee as he brought it up and thrust it into her mouth. Her front teeth sank into his flesh drawing blood, and Monique shrieked and fell over backward. She lay there helplessly, knees bent, arms outstretched, and her blood-filled mouth open wide.

“Bitch, don’t you
ever
,” Pluto panted in rage above her. “Ever! As long as your black ass is alive and licking my balls, tell me nothing about planning shit out! I’m the master fuckin’ planner up in here. And you better not never forget it!”

There was no mistaking the killer intentions in his eyes, and Monique had enough sense to roll over real quick and cover her face.

Pluto’s next blow came down hard in the center of her back. It almost stopped her heart. But there was no sense in screaming. Wasn’t nobody gonna come save her no way.

Monique balled up and protected herself the best way she could. She understood why Pluto had to check her for getting outta pocket. And in a perverse way, she knew she deserved it too. But she had meant every damn thing she said! Them niggahs shoulda stuck to the plan!

Scurrying all over the floor, Monique took her ass-whipping like a natural woman. And the whole time Pluto was beating her, she didn’t even cry. She couldn’t. She was too busy scheming and conniving and formulating some grand, brand new plans of her own.

CHAPTER 5

I was dreaming again, but this time it wasn’t no nightmare. I was back in New York with Gino.

He was sitting on a bench in Central Park, and I was across the street on the corner, waiting for the light to change.

It was wintertime, and a deep layer of snow was on the ground.

“Hurry up, Juicy,” Gino hollered, grinning with his fine self. My heart started beating real fast. Gino wasn’t shot! There was nothing wrong with him! He had on a bad-ass gray wool coat and some jeans and a pair of Timbs. He got up from the bench and walked toward me. Still grinning, he picked up a handful of loose snow and packed it between his palms. He laughed at the scared look on my face and waited till a car sped past, and then he threw the snowball softly in my direction.

I hollered like his little flimsy snowball was a giant asteroid about to take me out, and Gino cracked up laughing. Then he gave me a sexy wink and ran into the park.

“I’ma get you!” I yelled, trying to act like I was mad. The traffic light changed and I ran across the street and chased after him. Gino was still laughing but he kept getting further and further ahead, pulling me deeper into the park.

The snow sucked at my feet. Gino was straight dusting me, even though he was walking normally and I was booking.

“Wait up!” I called out to him. “Hey Gino! Wait up!”

“Catch up!” he turned around and yelled with a big grin. “You gotta run faster, Juicy.
Faster!
”

The distance between us grew much greater. Gino was turning into a shadowy blur against the winter whiteness of the park. He was getting so far away I could barely see him.

“Wait for me…” I whined as my legs pumped harder. I lifted my knees and my feet came down hard in the slurping snow. “Gino…wait…”

I was whimpering now. It had gotten darker outside. Much darker. Like somebody had pulled a blanket over the sky. My chest felt tight. Like my heart had swelled up. The air had turned so damned cold I could barely breathe.

Then suddenly the world went completely dark.

Ahead of me, where Gino should have been, was just an endless black road. I was running blind. I could feel his presence just up the way, but no matter how fast I moved I just couldn’t catch up with him.

And then I heard his voice. He spoke to me as clear as day in my head and in my heart.

Juicy
, he said sadly.
Ahh…Juicy. My baby. I love you, girl. I’ll always love you.

“Gino!” I screamed and ran deeper into the heavy darkness.

That’s right. Come closer to me, baby. I wanna hold you so bad. I wanna feel you just one more time. I’m right here, Juicy. Can’t you see me?

It was pitch black and he was so far away! My legs wanted to move faster, but I was freezing like never before, and I was tired. Oh, damn, was I tired.

Juicy!
My man’s voice bounced all around me in the darkness.

I’m waiting for you, baby. I’m holding on...I’m trying, Juicy…I’m trying…

“Juicy.”

I need you, Juicy
, Gino said. I could feel his heart reaching for me across what seemed like an ocean of ice-cold miles.
Juicy, I need you…