Daddy's House (12 page)

“
We don’t have Chow Mein. Only what’s on the menu,” the waiter said sarcastically.

“
I know that shit, damn it. Don’t get smart, ‘cause your tip just got shorter.”

The waiter walked away and I got close up into Tracey’s face. “Is she really out? ‘Cause I saw it on the computer with my own eyes. I just want one person to confirm that they’ve seen her.”

“
I’m not a hundred percent sure. If you hadn’t of brought your lil’ friend, we could rap. You know, go visit a few peeps who really know what’s goin’ on. ”

I scooted my chair over so Sushi couldn’t hear. “Tell me now. I gotta know.”

“
Well, Uncle Cedric called Mike about an hour ago and said …”

Sushi abruptly started singing Rick James’
Super Freak
at the table. Tracey went ballistic. She jumped up
and scooted Sushi’s chair from underneath her bottom. “Get up!” she instructed.

“
Where we go?” Sushi asked, with a puzzled look.

“
We? No, you. Let’s go.” Tracey pulled Sushi by the hand and led her to the front door. “You wait here. I’ma tell’em to bring yo damn food right here. I need to talk to my cuz in peace. You got me?”

Sushi nodded with confusion. I stood up and looked on long enough to see that she was okay and watched as Tracey headed back to the table. The minute we sat back down, I started drilling.

With my neck stuck out like a giraffe, I asked, “What did Uncle Cedric say? I gotta know, and who the fuck is this Mike you were talking about?”

“
Oh, don’t worry about him. It’s just some cat I know. Anyway, don’t hold me to this, but Cedric said Ray called him from jail and ummm…”

“
Ummm…what?” I edged.

“
Ray said she’s out for sure. But not lookin’ for you.”

“
You believe that!”

“
If Ray said it, it’s official. He’s the only honorable member left in the family. I’m not really sure about anything else that was said. Just don’t come by my spot. You know…just in case. I’m supposed to go see Cedric later to get the rest of the story. He already told me bits and pieces, but mostly gossip. I wanna hear the real deal.”

“
I’m going too.”

“
Hell to da naw!”

“
Why not?” I begged.

“
Lay low for a while. I don’t even wanna talk to you for a sec, so I don’t have to tell Aunt V no lies. Hit me up on MySpace in the meantime.” She smiled, showing those awful gold teeth. It was a fake smile, trying to make me believe everything would be okay. “I saw your message this morning. I responded to it,” she added. “Your page is cute.”

“
Who cares about that at a time like this,” I said, in a panicky voice. “You know how coldhearted she is. How could the feds let this happen? She’s a damn menace to society.”

“
You should’a testified against her ass, and then she wouldn’t be out. Now you like fish grease...hot,” she joked, licking her lips.

“
On the real, Tracey, this is serious. No time for jokes.”

“
I’m dead serious.” She laughed.

For some reason, I felt like there was something Tracey wasn’t telling me. I knew there was always a strong possibility that my mother would get out, that’s why my testimony was so important. After all, cases have to be built by the defense. We were all snitching on one another, but I knew I deserved to be free. I was forced into the business through my blood. That should’ve gotten my mother ten years by itself.

Nobody in our crew knew what I knew. They felt like if I was getting the money alongside Big V, I should’a done the time alongside her too. The entire family was against me. It didn’t matter though. If I could help it, I wouldn’t be strong armed by Big V.
I gotta get in touch
with Agent Barnes
, I thought, as the food arrived at the table.

I pushed my chicken and waffles to the side. My appetite was shot. My only concern was making sure my mother wouldn’t have her freedom for long.

Chapter Ten

Rich’s black Dodge Magnum pulled up to Tracey’s joint like we were on a stake out. When the car finally came to a damn stop, I jumped out like I was ready for some shit to go down.

“
Big V,” Rich called out to me.

“
What, mufucka!” I turned my neck all the way around like the damn exorcist. “Go ‘head and tell everybody my damn name.”

I bent down to fix the handmade cuff I had put in my jeans, while looking around to check my surroundings. I felt like a teenager trapped in a thirty-six year old body. My form-fitted jeans clutched to my firm hips. I’d been pumping iron in the pen, so I was shapelier than ever.

“
You know which building?” Rich whispered, through the window.

“
I got this,” I snapped.

“
Don’t do nothin’ crazy.”

“
You should’a told your lil’ girlfriend that a long time ago,” I responded, reading the building numbers. I laughed crazily.

“
Shit, you know how I feel about your girl. I don’t get along wit’ snitches,” Rich responded.

“
Nigga, stop lyin’. You still in love,” I added, swiftly walking away.

Rich’s eyes followed me into Tracey’s building, but he didn’t dare get out. I didn’t need no help. Tracey could be handled without back-up. Just in case anything went down, I had already told him to pull off and meet me at my boy’s place on Lenox Ave.

I passed two young boys dressed in black hoodies on my way in. I gave’em both a nod, since they were lookin’ like they wanted to try their hand. I was fresh outta prison, but still looked young, and good enough to get a few stares. Just in case they had me fooled, or any other foolish thoughts on the brain, I held my hand inside my shirt and made a bulky shape, symbolizin’ a gun.

“
What up, baby girl?” one of the guys called out.

“
Shut the fuck up,” I barked. Our eyes met, and I stared them down hard. Real hard.

Finally, they backed down and made their way in the other direction. They knew I meant business. Instantly, I proceeded to look for Tracey’s apartment number. I knew the information I’d been given was accurate, because my snitch wouldn’t want to see me again if anything he told me turned out to be false. My feet moved cautiously, while my eyes watched over my shoulder for anything behind me. It only took a few seconds before I spotted Tracey’s door.

“
29E, jackpot,” I said out loud.

My snitch was always on point. Shit, he valued his life too much not to be. I pulled out the small jimmy from my side, and popped the cheap-ass locks. It was easier than I thought.

The door squeaked like some shit out of a haunted house. I peeked around slowly, before stepping completely inside. Once realizing Tracey wasn’t home, I quickened my pace. There was no need in trashing the place, ‘cause there was enough shit thrown around to have the place condemned.

Out the left side of my eye, I caught an image that gave me mixed emotions. The picture of my sister, Vicki, Tracey’s mother, stared me in my face. She knew my style, and knew my intent. Quickly, I pushed the frame downward, no longer allowing her to peep my moves.

Besides, there was no time for emotional shit. I started to look for anything I could find. I pulled out all the drawers to her plastic storage bin, but found nothin’.

Nothin’ but a bunch of damn bills. I flipped over every pillow, Snicker’s wrapper and dirty-ass condom in sight.
My niece ain’t nothin’ but a nasty hoe
, I thought, as I began to get pissed off.

Surprisingly, Tracey’s computer was still on to the left of me, which caught my attention, because of the explicit photos on the screen. It was Tracey’s MySpace page. I couldn’t help but wonder how many times she’d been on that thing contacting Candice throughout the day. My brother, Ray, had already passed word that Tracey talked to my daughter frequently via that MySpace shit. I rushed to the keyboard, ready to punch a few keys. I hoped it was still active, so I could send my baby a message.

Surprised by the sudden sounds of the front door opening, I backed away from the computer and turned to face what was before me. When Tracey walked in, I could’a bought her ass for a penny. She stood at the door with her bottom lip hung low. She had one hand on the knob, and the other on her hip. I wondered if was she was still comin’ in, or gonna make a run for it.

“
Problem?” I questioned.

“
Problem? Yeah…I gotta problem a’ight. What da fuck you doin’ in my spot?”

She looked me up and down, waitin’ for an answer. I couldn’t be certain, but her stare hid her fear well.

“
You questionin’ me?”

“
Big V, e’erybody ain’t afraid of you.”

“
Then why the fuck you still standin’ at the door? Come the fuck in here. I gotta talk to you ‘bout something.”

“
When you get out?” Tracey asked, closing the door slightly, but not all the way . She kept looking back toward the door, like she was expecting somebody to come rushin’ in.

“
I’m asking the fuckin’ questions. Now where’s our girl?”

“
Our girl? Who?”

I gave her a slight smile. “You know who I’m talkin’ ‘bout. And shut that damn door. Lock it too,” I ordered.

Tracey was up to some shit. I could smell it. Planning my next move, I eyed the bottle of Drano sitting on the floor near Tracey’s leg. Not that it was my choice of weapon, but I needed a back-up plan. I let my eyes wander for a moment, wondering how much lay inside, and how potent the liquid was.

Besides, Tracey still hadn’t complied and locked the damn door. After giving her a moment, and looking deep into her eyes, I felt her defiance. Quite frankly, it filled the room. I knew she wasn’t gonna do as I instructed.

I wasted no time. Two steps and a strong grip later, I had Tracey pinned to the wall by her damn throat. “Where she at, huh?” I taunted. I pushed the door all the way shut with my right hand, and turned the wobbly lock.

“
Big V, why the fuck you come up in here disrespectin’ me like that?”

Her bitch-ass was whining like a chump. I hated chumps, and was shamed to say she was my niece. “Disrespectin’ you? You the one been on the phone singin’ my mufuckin’ name. You know I finds out everything. You think I’on know.”

She looked puzzled. I guess wondering who I was talkin’ ‘bout. Maybe she’d talked to several people about me. “You run your mouth too much. Cedric told me you called, braggin’ bout how you gotta look out for Candice.

I know she was here. So, where the fuck she at now?”

“
I’on know!”

“
You’on know,” I repeated, applying extra pressure to her neck. One of the benefits of being in and out prison was I could snap a fuckin’ neck faster than my victim could scream, ‘nooooooooo’. “You either with me or against me. Which is it?” I badgered. My face told her this was it. No matter what she said, I knew the answer. She wasn’t down with me. Never was. I kept my tight grip with one hand and reached for the Drano with the other. “This some potent shit,” I threatened. “Have you foaming out the mufuckin’ mouth.”

“
Look, Aunt V, I know what Candice did was foul. I told’er. But why you got me in this shit!” Tracey yelled a few words that I couldn’t understand.

My response, I just tightened the grip on her neck, and tried to pop the top on the Drano.

“
Aunt V, noooooooooo…!” my niece screamed.

Out of nowhere, Tracey slipped a knife from the opening in her purse. I looked into her eyes and saw my sister. She looked so much like my side of the family, but acted nothin’ like us. It was in our blood to be loyal. “Oh, so you gon’ fuckin’ kill me?” I asked, with a hurtful expression. My heart sunk just a bit, totally out of the ordinary. Would I allow my niece to shank me? My flesh and blood?

“
C’mon, Aunt V, look how you got me? You got me all in the middle of you and Candice’s shit!” she screamed, gripping the shank tightly.

I wasn’t one for a lot of talkin’, so I grabbed her hand in mid-air. We swayed back and forth, like two dudes at a wrestlin’ match. Tracey’s force told me she wanted me dead. All I really wanted was the whereabouts of my daughter. I couldn’t believe Tracey’s will. One slip and

I’d be punctured straight in the shoulder blade. We struggled for less than a second more, before the knife was up for grabs. She was a huge girl, but I was bigger and much stronger. My mind wrestled with what my next move would be.

A tear fell from Tracey’s eye. Fear? Pain? Triumph? I wasn’t sure. But I do know the knife went in deep and hard. I couldn’t believe she had me like this. My lids opened wide and my eyes protruded to the size of an eight ball. They remained stuck and my body froze. I couldn’t believe this was happenin’. I closed my eyes and cried.
A nasty cry
.

Chapter Eleven

No sooner than me and Sushi made it back to the house, I rushed up to my room, taking two steps at a time. Sushi tried to follow, but I told her I needed some time alone. Luckily, she understood and backed off. The house was unusually quiet for 9 p.m., so the noise from my shopping bags seemed extra loud. I figured I would have some me time in my room, throw all my new clothes across my bed, and think about what Tracey had told me about my mother. Besides, I was tired, and my feet were swollen from all the walking in the city.