Justify My Thug (27 page)

I opened my eyes and thought that I was seeing things. Mari was standing there.

“Where …”

“You're in the hospital, Kyron.”

“What are you doing here? You hate me that much that you wildin' out and sent muthafuckas out to kill me?” I asked her.

“Don't flatter yourself. I'm only here because the police called me. They found my number in your wallet. If you are so done with me, why are you holding onto my number?”

I raised my arm and it was stiff and heavy. It felt like my head was bandaged up but I wasn't sure because at the same time I couldn't feel my body.

“Kyron, you haven't been out of prison a good six months and look at you.”

“Did you call anybody?”

“No, not yet.”

“Good. I don't want anybody to know I'm up here but Kendrick. I'ma give you his number.”

“Kyron, who did this to you?”

“Why? What's the damage? I can't even feel my body.”

“Fractured skull, broken arm and broken rib cage. But you'll live. Who did this?”

“Take down this number.” I rattled off Kendrick's number. “Call him and tell him where I am.”

She grabbed her cell phone and called Kendrick. When she hung up she said, “I know you fucked up right now, so I'm not going to throw salt in your wounds. However—”

“Oh shit. Here comes the
however
.”

“Don't think for a second that I don't know about that bitch you been running around with. I'ma give you a pass for this one only because I know how niggas act when they first get out of prison and have access to some new pussy. Y'all act like y'all don't have no damned sense. But I'm telling you Kyron, stay focused. We got too much money on the fucking table for you to be acting like a fucking fool.” She went over to the chair and sat down.

Daybreak was on its way in when I stepped into my house. Tasha hadn't even been home for a day and I already could feel the difference. We were going to make this right. I felt it.

I stopped at the kids' bedroom. They were sound asleep. I went to the guestroom and it was empty. That made me feel good because that meant Tasha was in our bed. When I stepped into the bedroom, she reached over and turned on the lamp. I sat on the edge of the bed.

Tasha had a funny look on her face. “What's the matter?”

“I had a sharp pain and then I went to the bathroom, I saw that I was spotting.” She said as she sat up.

I looked at her to see if she was disappointed, angry or what, but saw nothing, except for a swollen bottom lip. “I'll take you to the doctor whenever you're ready. How are you feeling now?” I asked her.

“No more sharp pains.”

“I ain't going to front, I'm hoping that you lose the baby so that I won't have to live with subjecting you to a fuckin' butcher. But if you don't lose it, fuck it. You know what you gots to do.” Just thinking about it was getting me all amped up.

Tasha got quiet. I thought she was going to respond to what I said but instead she changed the subject. “Thanks for bringing Aisha home. I owe you for that. Kyra wouldn't have wanted it no other way.”

“You know I'll do
anything
for you. Come on downstairs. Let me cook us some breakfast,” I told her.

When Kendrick got the call I knew it had something to do with Kyron. He jumped up and started getting dressed. Just like that, his whole mood changed.

“What's the matter? It's Kyron isn't it?”

“He's in the hospital.”

“What?” I threw the covers off of myself. “What happened? Was that my sister?” I was now fumbling around looking for my clothes.

“No, it was his ex.”

“Then where is my sister?” My stomach knotted up just thinking about it.

“I don't know. Hurry up and get dressed. We about to go find out.”

I quickly started putting on my clothes. I grabbed my cell
and called my sister. Of course she didn't answer. “If something happened to my sister Kendrick … I swear I'ma—”

Kendrick chuckled. “You gonna do what Trina? You ain't no street nigga. Shut the fuck up and get dressed.”

No this nigga did not just call himself checkin' me. He don't know me like that.
“That's my sister, Kendrick.”

“And that's my cousin, Trina. So chill the fuck out and we about to go see what happened.”

We arrived at New York-Presbyterian in forty minutes. Kendrick broke every traffic law known to man. Then when we got there they had the nerve to tell us to come back, visiting hours were at noon. We snuck upstairs and slipped into his room. Some model looking chick was sitting next to his bed, thumbing through a magazine. I have to admit that bitch was bad.

She looked up. “Kendrick.” She said dryly.

“Mari.”

“I didn't want to leave him here by himself, even though he wanted me too. I wasn't going to leave until you got here. Tell him to call me when he's ready to come home.” She stood up, looked at me dirty, grabbed her purse and said to Kendrick, “You too huh?” She had a smirk on her face, shook her head and walked out.

“She gone man?” Kyron asked, startling both of us. His head was all bandaged up and his arm was in a brace.

“Nigga, yeah she gone. Why you playin'? I thought your ass was in a coma,” Kendrick spat but was sounding relieved.

“I had to act like I was in one just to keep her from grillin' me. Sit me up. I'm tired of laying here on my back. I need to get the fuck outta here.”

“What the fuck happened, yo? Don't tell me Trae did this,” Kendrick said.

“What's up Trina?” He asked me as I raised the head of the bed. I guess he could see the desperation on my face.

“Where was my sister when all of this happened? Is she alright?” As bad as Kyron looked, I could imagine what my sister would look like. I don't know about the two of them, but I saw Trae's hand in all of this. I know they didn't think that he was going to take that shit laying down. If I wasn't before, I knew now that I was on his shit list.

“She should be. Trae sent his henchmen to take me out and to take her home. I haven't talked to her since. Yeah. Them muthafuckas would have killed me if this group of white ladies hadn't started screaming and shit. They was wildin' out,” Kyron said. By the look in his eyes it was as if he was replaying the incident in his mind.

“Well nigga, I guess you can say, today is your lucky day,” Kendrick told him.

“Sheeit, everyday is my lucky day.”

“Whatever, nigga,” Kendrick said.

“I still won't be able to relax until I'm sure that she's alright. Call her for me,” Kyron told me.

“I just did. She didn't answer.”

“Use this hospital phone right here. She don't know that number.”

I called her cell phone again and she didn't answer. So I dialed her house phone and had the call on speaker.

Trae had pulled out the waffle iron and was cooking a breakfast of homemade waffles, turkey sausage and cheese eggs. He was
fixing my plate when the phone rang. New York Presbyterian on the caller ID threw me off guard, so I answered it.

“Hello.”

“Tasha, it's me. Are you alright? Why didn't you call me, girl? What happened?” It was my sister.

“Trina, I'm okay.” Trae turned and gave me this look. I hit the speakerphone button because I didn't want any drama. Everything was going to be out in the open.

“Kyron is in the hospital all bandaged up. Me and Kendrick are up here now. He wants to talk to you.”

“Trina, stay out of the middle of this shit. Whatever was going on between me and Kyron is over. I won't be talking to him anymore. I—”

Trae cut me off. “Is that nigga listening? Let me get in his ear,” Trae spat.

“Shorty, you alright? Where are you?” Kyron was acting as if Trae didn't exist.

“She's home nigga, where she belongs. I guess that ass whipping didn't send the right message. Tasha, tell this nigga who you want to be with.”

“Kyron, it's over. I'm staying with my husband.”

“Naw baby, that ain't clear enough. Tell this nigga that he was just a revenge fuck and that you were just having some fun and using his ass, trickin' him out for his money.”

“Kyron, you were just a revenge fuck which I told you from day one.”

“Kyron, you there nigga?” Trae was fucking with him in the background. “You sound like you don't believe her. You want to know how to tell that it wasn't serious?”

“The only thing I can tell is your wife been having fun
slidin' on my dick like she more single than married,” Kyron spat.

“Yeah, nigga but did she suck it?”

“This some bullshit,” I heard Kendrick say.

Kyron got quiet.

“If you could tell me right now that she sucked your dick, then you could have her. I would just walk away. But she didn't did she?” When Kyron didn't respond, he said, “I'ma take your silence as a no. Nigga, I know my wife. The only dick knocking them tonsils back is my big black one. So stop calling my wife. Leave us the fuck alone and be glad that out of respect for your moms and brother, I let your ass live. Oh, and the baby that you was all excited about, after I cook my wife breakfast, feed her and get my dick sucked, I'ma kill that muthafucka. So go plant one in ya own bitch.”

I took a deep breath. Now this was the hard part because Kyron wanted this baby so bad. “Kyron, I am getting an abortion this morning.”

“Hang up the phone, Tasha.”

After we hung up with Kyron, Trae did exactly as he promised. Even though shit was awkward, he cooked me a wonderful breakfast, fed me and then asked me to give him some head, lips swollen and all … and I did. It reminded me of old times and it felt good.

I then called my doctor and made an appointment for that afternoon. No sooner than I got off the line with her I caught another sharp pain. And then another one. I was doubled over. Trae found me balled up next to the dresser and called an ambulance. Sure enough I had a miscarriage. True to his word, Trae killed that baby.

I dropped Jaz and Kaeerah off at the airport and then scooped up Wali. I had to get the skinny on this Steele nigga before my peeps from up North showed up. Wali was instrumental in setting
up the meeting and I couldn't wait to be done with his good for nothing ass. I swear Oni and her brothers all are a bunch of simple muthafuckas. They don't know their asses from their elbows. I still can't figure out how they were getting away with all of the shit they were into.

They definitely wouldn't have been getting over like this on no up north niggas. The only way they could be of any use to the situation was to give me 411 on this Steele cat and put the money up. I took care of the keys and I'm making them muthafuckas pay for it. I was also able to get all of the firepower that we needed. I couldn't trust them. If I was going to go down it would be from my doing. I had to make a call to up North, but I was gettin' ready to get this shit poppin'. The only thing left for me to do was wait.

Faheem dropped us off at the airport. When I heard that his family from up North was coming, I began to pray. The only time he called on them was when it was time for war. Before the flight I sent Tasha a text telling her that me and Kaeerah was on our way and she sent me a text back saying that she was in the hospital. She had a miscarriage and she didn't know how long they were going to keep her. I then sent Angel a text and she said that she was on her way as well and that she had some info on Kyra. I was dying to hear about it.

I was on pins and needles. I was now standing in front of the house that was supposed to be mine. It had a
For Sale
sign sticking
up out of the lawn, listing the real estate contact. I wrote down the number and stood there.

“Excuse me lady. Do you want me to take you somewhere else?” The cabbie asked me.

“Yes. Give me a minute.” I walked around to the backyard in hopes of remembering something. I couldn't. Nothing looked familiar.

“Are you ready?” The impatient driver asked me. I guess he saw that I was looking at the neighbor's house.

“I'm ready.”

We headed for the address that was listed as my contact in case of emergency, Tasha Macklin. I said a quick prayer, asking that if her house was for sale, that I would have the strength to handle it. Because if it was, I'd be shit out of luck and the only thing left to do would be to call Nurse Wright. She didn't want me to come out here by myself but I insisted. I felt that I had to start somewhere. If I was going to reclaim my life, I had to do it on my own. I was hoping that I had the right address because it was taking forever for us to get there.

“Excuse me,” I said to the cabbie. “Are you going the right way?”

“Yes ma'am, I am. According to the GPS system we are one and a half miles away.”

I sat back in the seat. I rubbed my stomach, trying to slow down the butterflies, but it wasn't working. I peeked up at his GPS and saw that we were close. We made a left turn and the houses were gorgeous.

“O.J. used to live in this neighborhood.”

I guess the cabbie called himself a guide, giving me a tour at the last minute. But I didn't care about no O.J. I had my fingers crossed hoping that a
For Sale
sign was no where to be found.

The cab slowed down. Thank God there was no For Sale sign posted. Toys were tossed around on the freshly manicured lawn but it was quiet.

“Thank you.” I told the cabbie and paid him his fare.

“Do you want me to wait?”

“No. I think I'll be alright here.”

“Well just in case, here's my card if you need me to come back.”