Carl Weber's Kingpins (13 page)

“I ain't even gon' try to play you, Shay. I fucked up on that for real. I let her get to me and fell for the ol' okey-doke like a sucka. When I was in the pen and she told me that she was pregnant, I was like, by who? When she said she was pregnant by me, I was like, get the fuck out of here! But seven months later when she brought my daughter to see me I knew she was mine as soon as I saw her pretty brown eyes. She's my heart, Shay, for real.”

“What's her name?”

“Tandy,” he said proudly.

“How old is she?”

“She turns seven in November.”

“Okay, so when you got out after doing the two years why didn't you get in contact with me then?”

“Same reason: I had to get my money right. I went back to hustlin' and doin' me around the north. Shit was comin' along slowly but I was makin' some progress. Then I met some people and thangs popped off for me in a major way.”

“I bet, 'cause then you went and had another child by loose drawers,” Shayla said sarcastically.

He started laughing and said, “Yeah, I fell for the same shit twice.” Making his voice sound like a female he said, “‘I'm on the pill, King. You ain't got to worry, nigga. I ain't gettin' pregnant by your ass again.'”

“But she did.”

“Yep. She gave me a son.”

“How old is he?”

“He turns five in March.”

“What's his name?”

King smiled and said, “Trevor.”

“How sweet,” she said as she got off of the swing. “Let's take a walk while I try to digest all of this information.”

“Shay, you—”

She turned and faced him, put her index finger to his lips, and said, “Shhhh, let me think for a minute. Come on,” she said as she pulled him out of his swing. He smiled and followed her.

* * *

It was close to midnight when Flamboyant made it back home. He was hoping and praying that Shayla was sound asleep when he came home because he wasn't in the mood to hear her bitching at him. When he pulled into the garage and saw that her car wasn't there he said, “Aww, shit, she's really mad.” He went inside of the house and everything was as it was when he left a few hours ago. Shayla didn't even clear off the dining room table.

After clearing off the table and putting away what was left of their food, he went and took a shower. After he finished he climbed into the bed and grabbed the phone to give Shayla a call. When she answered the phone he could hear cars as they passed wherever she was. “When you comin' home, babe?”

“When I feel like it, Marco.”

“Come on, you know when I get business calls I have to be on deck at all times. Don't be like this, babe; come on back home.”

“I'll be there when I get there! Bye, Marco!” she yelled as she hung up the phone.

“Fuck it. Do you, crazy girl,” he mumbled as he set the cordless phone back on its base. Fifteen minutes after his head hit the pillow he was sound asleep.

After she had hung up the phone on Flamboyant, Shayla turned to King and said, “Don't you say a thing either, mister.”

He smiled and did as he was told. Before either of them could speak he got a call on his cell. “Excuse me real quick,” King said he answered the call. “What it do, Tippi?”

“Your boy handled his BI.”

“Yeah? How bad is it?”

“Pretty bad actually. To be honest, I'm kind of proud of ol' boy.”

“Where he at?”

“Back on this side of the north.”

“Call him and tell him I said to stay on the low-low until I can get with him and see what's what.”

“A'ight. Where you at?”

“Takin' care of some shit. I'll get with ya later,” he said quickly and ended the call. He turned toward Shayla and said, “Look, I gots to go. Some shit went down and I have to make sure that my peoples are straight. Can we do lunch or something tomorrow?”

“For what?”

“So we can finish what we started.”

Shayla smiled and asked, “And exactly what have we started, Trevor?”

“I hope some sort of reconciliation.”

“I still got a man, Trevor. I can't just up and leave him.”

“Lunch. Tomorrow. Your choice. What time?”

She always did love it when he took control of a situation. That used to turn her on, as it was doing at that very moment. With a loud sigh she said, “The Outback in Edmond. I'll meet you there at noon.”

He smiled confidently and said, “See ya then, Shay. Now, come on, let's raise up outta this cold-ass park.”

By eight o'clock King was on the block waiting for Tippi to arrive. It was a chilly morning so he decided to wait inside of the main trap. Flex was busy inside of the dining room counting the money that was made the night before. Two more of King's young hand-to-hand men were sleeping soundly on the couch and loveseat in the living room. King stepped into the dining room and asked Flex, “How did y'all do last night?”

“Around the same. 'Em young niggas don't be playin' when it comes to servin' them rocks. If it gets slow on the block they take that shit on the road and go get theirs for real. They dumped close to half a brick between the two of them, and that was all rock for rock.”

“Yeah? No weight at all?” King asked, impressed by his young squad members.

“Yeah, they dumped some weight too, about a bird and a half. They gettin' that money, dog.”

“That's right. When they get up tell 'em I said to take a night off and chill and enjoy themselves. They earned that.”

“Right,” Flex said as he put the last of the money he counted inside of a duffel bag and set it on the floor next to his feet.

“So, how's your thang comin'?”

“It's gettin' better and better every day. I'm tellin' you, that white broad has hooked me into some heavyweight crackas. They be snortin' that shit so damn fast that it don't make no sense. And they some crazy crackas, too.”

“What you mean?”

Flex started laughing and said, “Man, they get all coked up and start gettin' on some freaky-ass shit. I mean, I sat there and watched them freak with ol' girl for over an hour. Puttin' line after line all over that broad and snortin' off of her and lickin' her ass and all kinds of freak shit.”

King shook his head from side to side and said, “'Em some nasty-ass white people.”

“I don't give a damn. As long as they keep spendin' 'em chips I'm good.”

“I feel ya.” King checked his Cartier and said, “Damn, where the fuck is Tippi?”

“Ain't no tellin'. When was the last time you holla'd at her?”

“I called her an hour ago and told her to meet me over here. She should've been here by now—” He was cut off midsentence by Tippi blowing the horn of her H2. King stepped to the front door and saw two black and white police cruisers parked right behind Tippi's truck with their sirens silently flashing. “What the fuck!” he yelled as he stepped outside of the trap.

When Tippi saw King come outside she smiled and climbed out of her truck. She turned and faced one of the four police officers who were walking toward her and said, “I don't know what the problem is, but y'all really need to get the fuck away from me!”

“Could you please step back next to your vehicle, ma'am?” one of the officers said calmly.

Tippi stopped and watched as King came and stood next to her side and asked, “What's the problem, Officer?”

“We've been trying to pull this lady over for over a mile and a half now. She refused to respond to any of our warnings. And for that, she's going to jail, sir. Now, would you please take a step back so we can do our job!”

King turned and faced Tippi and whispered, “What the fuck have you done? You dirty?”

She shook her head no. “Nah, I was in a rush. Hell, I was already late enough as it is. Fuck these clowns!”

King sighed and said, “Shut up.” He turned back toward the officer who informed him of Tippi's behavior. “If you could, may I have a word with you, Officer? I give you my word you won't have any problems from her.”

“As soon as the lady takes a few steps back toward her vehicle like she was instructed to, then you can have a word with me, sir.”

King turned and faced Tippi. “Do what this fool says so I can see if I can get you outta this stupid shit.” She did as she was told and frowned as she watched King step toward the police officer. They talked for about ten minutes and then King shook hands with the officer and came back to Tippi's side. “Get your ass in the truck so we can roll,” he said as she stepped around to the passenger's side of her H2.

When they were inside of the truck, Tippi asked, “What did you tell 'em fools?”

He smiled and said, “None of your fuckin' business. Now drive; we got to get at Keko and find out exactly what's what with this shit out in Del City.”

They arrived at Keko's trap on the northeast side to see Keko sitting on the hood of his old-school Chevy. He smiled when he saw them pull onto his block. King jumped out of the truck and said, “Don't look like your ass is over here sweatin' shit to me. What's good, crazy-ass nigga?”

Keko shrugged his slim shoulders and said, “Same old shit, G. You know I ain't gon' let somethin' like a li'l work bein' put in stop me from doin' me.”

“That's right. So, what's the deal out there? Is it still poppin' or what?”

“Nah, I had to shut that bitch down; the spot is way too hot right now. Don't trip, though. I'll have that bitch back up and runnin' by the end of the week,” Keko said confidently.

“What makes you think you'll be able to get it right back crackin'?” asked Tippi.

“Trust, Keko knows what he's doin', li'l lady,” he said as he lit a Newport.

“Fuck you.”

They laughed and then King said, “Look, I don't want this shit to turn into more than it has to. When you get back out that way make sure you handle that shit right.”

“Don't sweat it, dog, I will.”

“What if 'em fools get it back on and poppin'? Then what yo' ass gon' do?” asked Tippi.

Keko stared at the both of them for a few seconds before responding. “Whatever it takes to maintain my spot. If they think about openin' back up then they'll have to get served again. If I have to put another demo down it will be way worse than the first one.”

“I hope it won't come to that, I don't know how long I'll be able to keep a blanket on your ass with all of this gunplay. So try to chill the fuck out, my nigga,” said King.

“I got ya, dog. But, look, Del City ain't the only spot crackin' in this fuckin' town. I need some more wiz for my shit out this way. Spook mad at a nigga 'cause he thinks I've deserted his ass. I gots to make sure that we're stocked nice for the weekend. 'Em young gangstas been spendin' more and more lately. So I'm gon' need more ya-yo than usual. As for the X and that water, keep it the same.”

“You got some chips for me?”

“Do I? You better fuckin' believe it!” Keko said as he stepped to the back of his Impala and popped the trunk. He pulled out two duffel bags full of money and gave one to Tippi and King. “That's everything right there. I took care of my people over this way as well as my niggas who put in that work with me.”

“Cool. A'ight then, my nigga, we're out. Keep me informed on that shit in Del City, Keko.”

“Gotcha.” As he watched King and Tippi walk back toward Tippi's H2 Keko yelled, “Hey, Tippi!”

Tippi stopped, turned and faced his direction, and said, “What, nigga?”

“Did the work I put in impress your wild side?”

Tippi started laughing and said, “Fuck you, Keko!”

Keko laughed too and said, “You wish!”

* * *

When Tippi and King made it back to the block King told her, “Go get them chips from Flex and meet me at my pad at two.”

“At two? What you 'bout to get into?” Tippi asked as she climbed out of the H2.

“I got a meetin'.”

“With Charlie?”

He frowned and asked, “What's with all these fuckin' questions? I'll meet you at my spot at two. We got to get all of the ends counted and stacked.”

“A'ight, I'll get wit' you in a li'l while,” Tippi said as she started walking toward the trap. Before she made it to the porch her cell phone rang. “What it do?”

“We got a problem out here in Midwest City,” said Boleg.

“Hold on,” she said as she took her phone away from her ear and called out to King, who was just about to get into his car. “Hey, King! Come here real quick!” She turned and went back to him. “You might want to hear what Boleg got to talk 'bout,” she said as she gave him her phone.

King took the phone and said, “What's poppin', dog?”

“Some niggas from the south side got at Nutta in the wee-wee hours.”

“What? Is he a'ight?”

“Yeah, he straight, just mad as hell. He peeped 'em comin' and was able to shake the spot before they could do him any damage. But peep this, he heard one of them Blood niggas from the Murda One say something 'bout how 'em south side niggas' spot got shot up out in Del City.”

“South side? Yeah? Where you at right now?”

“Me and Cuddy are on our way over to Nutta's spot.”

“Me and Tippi will meet y'all there in about fifteen.”

“Cool,” Boleg said as he hung up the phone.

King told Tippi, “Go get 'em chips from Flex and put 'em in your shit. Some shit has happened to Nutta. We got to go check on him at his spot.” Tippi didn't respond; she did as she was told. King got in his car. He checked the time and saw that it was a little after eleven. “Fuck!” he yelled as he grabbed his cell and dialed Shayla's number. When she answered the phone he took a deep breath and said, “What's up, Shay?”

Shayla didn't like the sound in his voice one bit. She knew him too well; something was wrong. “You're not going to be able to make it for lunch, are you, Trevor?”

“Nah, baby. I got to check on somebody real quick. After I make sure everything is good with my man I'll hit you up and we'll do lunch. Cool?”

Shaking her head no as if he was right beside her she said, “No, it's not cool. This whole thing is wrong and this proves it. It's not meant for us, Trevor. Take care of yourself,” she said then hung up the phone on him before he could say something to change her mind.

King sat there for a minute and stared at his phone. “Fuck!” he yelled again just as Tippi came and got inside of the car.

“What happened to Nutta?” she asked as she strapped on her seat belt.

“Some south side niggas tried to get at him out in Midwest City early this morning.”

“Did he get hurt?” Tippi asked as she felt herself starting to get angry. Very angry.

“Nah. Boleg said Nutta saw them comin'. Before they could get him he shook the spot. What's fuckin' wit' me is that Nutta heard one of 'em Blood niggas say some shit about the south side niggas gettin' shot up out in Del City last night.”

“I thought 'em was some Del City niggas' spot.”

“I did too,” King said as he started the car and pulled away from the curb.

They saw Boleg's Suburban parked next to Nutta's Dodge Nitro in Nutta's apartment building. King parked and they quickly got out of the car and went to go check on the youngest member of the squad.

Nutta opened the door to his home and said, “What's good, King? What up, Tippi?” He turned and they followed him inside of the apartment.

King saw Boleg and Cuddy sitting down on the sofa and said, “A'ight, explain to me what the fuck happened, Nutta.”

Nutta sat his thin frame down next to Cuddy and said, “I was out there gettin' my late night on and I heard one of them Blood niggas talkin' 'bout how his cousins from the south side spot got blasted out in Del City. That raised my radar 'cause Boleg told me about Keko's mission. Anyway, 'em fools was bumpin' they gums and shit talkin' 'bout how 'em south side niggas are plugged real heavy with the work and shit. I wasn't trippin' off that shit until I heard them say something 'bout how they tryin' to get money out they way too. I peeped 'em niggas earlier before I left to go get some rest.”

“Yeah, we saw them niggas when we rolled through after you left,” said Cuddy.

“I was strapped so I wasn't trippin' too much. But when I heard that nigga say somethin' 'bout how the south side niggas are hot and might start trippin' I decided to get the fuck on. I had a zip sale around the corner so I was like, I'm gon' go on and dump this ounce and call it a night. I gets in my shit and roll around the block. When I get there I see 'em south side niggas parked across the street. I don't pay 'em too much attention as I climb outta my shit and go into the spot to make that zip sale. When I come out, one of 'em niggas asked me where I'm from. I thought they was on some bangin' shit, so I said, ‘I don't bang. I'm from the north side, though.' They like, ‘This the south side, nigga!' I don't give 'em a chance to make a move. I pull out heat and stare them down as I climb back in my shit and shake the spot.”

“You think they was gon' try?” asked Tippi.

Nutta nodded. “You fuckin' right! I could see it in they eyes; they was lookin' for some drama. Probably 'cause they people got served out in Del City. I don't know. I wasn't 'bout to get fucked up tryin' to find out, though.”

“I know that's right, my nigga. Y'all gon' have to fall back off that Midwest City blast 'til we can check into this shit further,” King said as he pulled out his cell and called Keko. When Keko answered the phone King told him, “Dog, I need you to come over to Nutta's pad. We need to talk.”

“I was just 'bout to hit you. This shit done got a li'l flipped. 'Em niggas ain't from Del City; they from the south side,” said Keko.

“Yeah, I know.”

“Yeah? But did you know that they're supposed to be plugged with some nigga they call Flamboyant? He's supposed to be high powered or some shit. From what I've learned he's just as strong on the south as you are on the north.”