Powder Blu (10 page)

I still couldn't believe how Nikki's dumb-ass had gotten me caught up in her bullshit with Black, I thought as I blasted my music one Saturday afternoon while cleaning the house. If Budz even thought I put our business on the line to help her dope fein ass, he would have no understanding. As soon as I turned off the vacuum I heard my cell phone ringing, I walked over to it, picked it up, and checked the caller ID. Normally, I wouldn't have answered it because it was an
UNKNOWN CALLER,
but today I felt like I needed to.

“Hello?” I answered.

“Hello, beautiful,” I heard the voice say with the Trinidadian accent.

Speaking of the devil,
I thought and meant it literally. The sound of Black's deep voice sent chills down my spine. “Who is this?” I asked, already knowing who the voice belonged to.

“It's your knight in shinin' armor, who else would it be?” he joked.

“How did you get my number?” I asked.

“I got my ways of findin' out anything I need to know,” he responded.

“Well know this, I don't want you callin' my phone!”

“Stop it!” Black laughed. “We still got business to tend to.”

“Speakin' of our business, is it done yet?”

“Now let's not be so pushy.”

“And I need proof before I pay you,” I stated.

“Oh trust me, you will have proof firsthand.”

“What do you mean by that?” I inquired.

“You'll see. Just meet me at the same warehouse around three a.m. with the rest of my money. Oh, and this time come alone,” he said hanging up before I could even respond.

This crazy-ass nigga had me shook. The thought of going to the warehouse without Nikki had me feeling uneasy. Black had my mind so messed up I couldn't even finish cleaning the house. I decided to get dressed and head to the mall to do some shopping to try to relax my mind. As I headed to the car my cell phone began ringing again. I prayed it wasn't Black calling me back as I quickly dug in my purse to retrieve it. I smiled when I saw the number of the correctional facility. After the automated operator went through her spill, I accepted Budz's call.

“Wassup, baby?” he asked.

“Nothin' much. Just on my way to the mall to do a little shoppin',” I replied as I got into my car.

“Shit, you out there spendin' all a nigga's money on shoppin' ain't you?” he joked.

“Not all of it.” I laughed as I started up the car and pulled off. “You know a bitch gotta stay lookin' fly though.”

“Who you tryin'a look good for?” he asked.

I could hear the jealousy in Budz's voice. I was glad that he was; now he knew how I felt when he be out there fucking other bitches. He had no idea how many niggas I could have and should have fucked since he'd been locked up, but no, my dumb-ass was staying faithful to this nigga. Why, I didn't even know. Maybe it was the fact that I knew what he'd do to me if he ever found out that I'd fucked around on him.

“For myself,” I answered trying my best to ease his insecurities.

“Yeah, okay, don't get fucked up!” he warned.

“I won't,” I said as I drove.

“When I get out I gotta pay a visit to this nigga named Black,” Budz said, nearly making me run a red light.

“Huh?” I asked nervously, hoping Nikki hadn't opened her big mouth about the business I had with Black. How ironic would it be for Budz to mention the name of the nigga I was supposed to meet tonight?

“Some ho-ass nigga from Trinidad who's tryin'a step on my toes,” Budz said.

“Oh, okay well I've never heard of him before,” I lied.

“Well, if you do ever cross paths with him, stay the fuck away from him! The nigga is dangerous as hell!”

Hearing Budz saying someone other than himself was dangerous made me fully believe that Black wasn't playing with a full deck so the quicker we got done with this business the better.

“Story is he out here clockin' dough, his and some of mine. He came here from Trinidad and bodied the nigga who was supposed to be down here workin' for him. I guess the nigga was jackin' his money off and stealin' from him and the nigga took him out in broad daylight, across from the police station,” Budz said trying to speak in code over the monitored phones.

“Wow, across from a police station? That nigga got heart,” I said, slightly getting turned on by Black's thuggish ways.

“Yeah, but I ain't barrin' that ho-ass nigga! I tell you one thing, me and that nigga gon' get an understandin' about what's happenin' around the Chi, I know that much!” Budz said with a straight attitude.

I quickly changed the subject, trying to calm Budz down. After a few more minutes of talking, the automated lady chimed in telling us we had sixty seconds left on our call.

“Well, I'm about to go to rec. I will call you later on,” Budz said.

“Okay, do that. I love you,” I said.

“You have ten seconds left on this call,” the automated lady said.

“Love you too,” he said before our call got disconnected.

I stuck my phone back into my purse before pulling into the mall's parking lot. I was still shook by Budz mentioning Black's name to me. I got out of the car and headed into the mall. I knew one thing for sure and two for certain I had to make it my business to never let Budz find out that I'd been fraternizing with the enemy or he would be handling me too.

After spending hours at the mall shopping, I decided to grab a bite to eat before going home to take a nap. Waking up two hours later, I looked over at the clock.

“Damn, it's only nine o'clock,” I snapped, realizing I still had six hours before I had to meet Black at the warehouse. With nothing to do around the house I decided to head over to Nikki's as usual to see what was popping off over there. I had money to collect anyway.

I pulled up in front of Nikki's and looked over at the Davidsons house. It was pitch dark on the inside. A part of me felt bad for what Black had done to them but the other part didn't give a fuck because they shouldn't have been tryin'a fuck wit' my money!

“Sup, girl.” Sierra smiled when I walked in.

“Hey, momma,” I spoke, looking around at the empty house. “Where everybody at?”

“They all in the basement smokin', drinkin', and watchin' the Mayweather fight on pay per view. And I don't know where Nikki's ass at; she been gone all day,” Sierra replied.

“Well if they down there kickin' it who runnin' the door?” I questioned. “And did Nikki get her kids back yet?”

Sierra shrugged her shoulders. “Girl, naw. Nikki was supposed to go to some parenting classes but didn't go. They gave her three chances. The first two classes she woke up too late to go and the third time she just said fuck it and didn't go! Some white lady showed up one day lookin' around and of course the house was full of niggas drinkin' and smokin'. The white lady was talkin' 'bout the condition of the house and said the kids would be better off livin' with her mother permanently.”

All I could do was shake my head.

“Wait, listen to this. The white broad asked Nikki if she had any questions and Nikki asked, ‘Will I still get my check and food stamps?'” Sierra said, shaking her head too.

“Wow, so you mean to tell me all this bitch is worried about is a check and muthafuckin' food stamps?”

Sierra shook her head. “Yep. And as far as who's watchin' the door, all I know is it's some fine-ass niggas down there and I'm goin' back down there to see which one I wanna come up on,” Sierra said as she headed to the basement with me in tow.

“We'll see about this,” I said as we headed down the basement stairs.

“What's up, Blu?” Ervin spoke as the rest of the niggas followed suit.

“What's up, y'all,” I spoke back. Looking around the basement at our workers sitting around drinking and getting high when there was money to be made had me feeling some typa way. I couldn't take it anymore. I had to speak on it.

“Listen up, y'all,” I shouted over the loud noise.

“Wassup?” Neeko asked never taking his eyes off the fight.

Seeing that I was being ignored had me hot as a firecracker so I walked over and stood in front of the fifty-five-inch TV that Budz had bought for Nikki to show his gratitude for all the money she was making for him.

“Awwwww, man, what you doin'?” JB shouted as I stood blocking their view.

“I told y'all I had somethin' to say!”

“Well can't you say it while standin' a little more to your left?” Kane asked, waving me out the way.

“I could, but I ain't!” I said quickly grabbing the remote of the table and turning the TV off.

“Awwwww, man, what you do that for?” the fellas sang out simultaneously.

“Man, you trippin'. I got a thousand dollars on this fight!” Ervin frowned.

“I don't care nothin' about y'all bein' mad 'cause y'all already know if Budz was out y'all wouldn't be sittin' around watchin' no damn fight! Y'all would be out here gettin' money,” I said angrily. “And, Yogi, you know what I'm sayin' is true.”

“Damn, Blu, we been gettin' money all damn day, baby girl,” Yogi said, pulling a knot out of his pocket.

“Well that's good, but there's always more to be made,” I said, unfazed.

“Damn, man, she worse than a slave master,” Kane said, getting up from the couch.

“Hell yeah,” Neeko agreed.

“A nigga can't even take a break I see,” JB said.

“You right, y'all can't,” I said not caring about their attitudes.

“Here you go, boss,” Ervin said, handing me the $3,800 he owed.

“Thank you.” I smiled before collecting the rest of my ends from the other niggas.

“Nice doin' business wit' y'all; now get back to work,” I said as I watched them all head up the basement stairs in a single file line mumbling the entire way.

I couldn't have cared less how they felt. Like I said if Budz was out, he wouldn't let them get away with slacking either.

“Damn, bitch, you be on them niggas' heads about makin' that money.” Sierra laughed.

“It ain't that. I just don't like the fact that they think because Budz is locked up they can slack off. I'm not havin' it, point blank period!”

“Okay, boss lady,” Sierra joked.

“That's right.” I laughed while embracing the nickname Boss Lady.

Sierra and I sat around the house shooting the shit, while taking much needed shots of Grey Goose. I needed something to calm my nerves before going to meet Black.

“A'iiiiight, girl, I'm 'bouta bounce. I got business to take care of,” I said standing up from the couch.

Sierra looked over at the clock on the cable box. “What typa business you got to take care of at two o'clock in the mornin'?” She smirked.

“Why, nosey-ass hefah?” I asked as we headed up the basement stairs.

“Do Budz know you 'bouta handle this business? 'Cause I can only think of one typa business bein' handled this time of mornin'.” Sierra laughed.

“It ain't even that typa business, girl.” I laughed too. “Lord knows I wish it was.”

“Girl, you betta gone and get you some while Budz ass is locked up. I bet chu he wouldn't be faithful to you if the shoe was on the other foot,” Sierra said.

“Shit, the nigga ain't faithful no ways. He thinks I don't know. I'm just playin' dumb for the time bein'. I will have my time to shine, just wait and see,” I assured my friend.

“Shit, fuck waitin'; if I were you I would be out gettin' me some dick as we speak,” Sierra said.

“Naw, I'm good. I'ma be a good girl; my time comin',” I said as I headed out the door.

“Well, take ya good girl ass on then,” Sierra joked as I walked out to my car. Sierra watched as I made it safely to my car before shutting the door.

I laughed as I got in my car, started it up, and pulled off.

All the talk about sex had me horny as fuck, so I decided to go home and take a quick, cold shower before going to the warehouse. Lord knows I couldn't go see Black's fine ass feeling like this because money might not have been the only thing he would have been getting from me.

I pulled up at the warehouse, grabbed the duffle bag, and headed to the door. After being let in and searched, I was led to Black's office. My heart beat fast as hell as I entered through the door.

“Welcome, beautiful.” Black grinned as he sat behind his desk. His entourage wasn't as big as it was the last time I'd been here. In fact, there were only two dudes in there with him.

“Let's get down to business,” I said wasting no time, wanting to get up out of there as quick as possible.

“Calm down, sexy, no need to rush,” Black said standing up from his chair and walking toward me.

Damn, damn,damn, James,
I thought as he walked over and stood in front of me. I could smell his cologne he was standing so close.

“The name is Blu, so please feel free to use it,” I said smartly.

“Blu, I like that name. Just like Beyoncé and Jay-Z's daughter huh? Your parents stole that name from them didn't they?” He smiled.

“For your information, my name is spelled differently and I was born first. It may sound the same but it's different all the way around the board,” I said, defensively.

“Okay, whatever you say,” Black said.

“Look, I keep tryin'a tell you I didn't come here to play games wit' you. I'm here on business so let's get down to it!” I said trying to keep myself from making eye contact.

“Fiesty.” He laughed before purring like a kitten.

This nigga was nuttier than a PayDay candy bar.

“Look, I'm a business woman so I don't have time to waste. Did you do the job or not?” I asked impatiently, needing to get as far away from Black as possible. His presence had me feeling horny all over again.

“Hmmmmm, I can respect that,” he said while making circles around me.

“Good,” I replied, always having to have the last word just like my momma always said.

“Bring me the old fucks!” he shouted, making me jump as his voice echoed throughout the warehouse.

We waited a few minutes while two of his dudes dragged the Davidsons in. They were both tied up, with duct tape over their mouths and bleeding profusely.

“What the fuck! They're not dead; we had a fuckin' deal!” I shouted, confused.

“That we did, but you intrigued me wit' your feisty attitude,” he said putting his face in mine.

“What the hell are you talkin about?” I asked, taking a step back.

“You got a lot of potential to be a true boss bitch. I mean you're almost there but somethin' missin',” he said.

“Excuse me? I am a boss bitch,” I said, defending my title to the fullest.

“Not quite. You see, you can't have a heart in this game and you have a big one and that's what's holdin' you back,” he schooled, telling me the exact thing Budz had told me several times before. I guessed I just couldn't help it.

“I don't have a heart. I'm heartless as they come,” I lied.

“You care too much for people and that's gon' be your downfall in this game unless you change that,” he said in his sexy accent while pulling a nine out of his inside jacket pocket.

The sight of Black's gun almost gave me a heart attack, but I knew I couldn't show any signs of fear or he'd know that I really was soft as fuck!

“You gotta be ruthless and willin' to take out anybody at any given time in this dope game,” he said while caressing his gun. “You gotta be cold as ice.”

I watched in silence as he continued to school me.

“You even gotta be willin' to take ya own momma out if it came down to it. So bein' heartless is the only way you gon' ever be able to serve in these streets.”

I continued to watch as Black rubbed the gun up against his chest and held it.

“So, do you think you got what it takes to be able to survive out here much longer wit'out ya nigga?” he asked.

“I'm a survivor and I plan on bein' out here in these streets just as long as anybody else,” I answered with a cocky attitude.

“Is that so?”

I shook my head yes.

“Then prove it,” he said, cocking the gun and handing it to me. I had no other choice but to take it.

“Wait a minute; I paid you to do it!” I panicked. There was no way I was about to kill this old couple. Yes, I wanted them dead before, but now I really didn't know what I wanted.

“It don't matter. I know you ain't nothin' but a scared little girl who wants to act like she grown. I figured that out the one day you pulled ya li'l punk-ass .22 out on me. I could tell you weren't gon' use it; you had fear in yo' eyes, the same fear you have in yo' eyes right now,” Black said.

Black was right. I was a scared little girl. But my eyes weren't the only ones filled with fear as I looked over at the Davidsons. Why did I have to get myself into this bullshit? I shoulda listened to my momma a long time ago. I wished I could take it all back. I wasn't a killer; who was I fooling?

“There you go feelin' sorry for muthafuckas,” Black said as I stared at the helpless couple. “You just showin' me that anybody can make a fool outta you! You talk a good game but it's all bullshit!”

“I'm ready to go,” I said, not being able to take it anymore. Black's truth was eating me up. This nigga didn't even know me and was pulling my ho card after one meeting.

“Not before you prove to me that you a real boss bitch,” Black said walking up behind me. He wrapped his arm around my waist and pulled me into his body before grabbing the wrist I held the gun in. For some reason it felt like my arm was being weighed down by a ton of bricks. My hand shook as he lifted it up, pointing the gun at Mr. Davidson.

“No, I don't want to,” I said shaking my head, adamant as the tears began to roll from my eyes.

“Yes, you do,” Black said, with his lips pressed up against my ear.

“Please, Black, just let me go home,” I begged. It felt like my knees were about to buckle right from underneath me.

“You can't feel sorry for these snitchin'-ass muthafuckas, Blu. Remember they are the ones who tried to fuck wit' ya money. And besides, it's too late. We can't let 'em go 'cause if we do, you goin' to jail for the rest of yo' life while they sit on the front porch readin' the paper sippin' on their early mornin' coffee,” Black said.

“So, I'll just do the time,” I cried.

“You can't do a day behind bars wit' ya scary, crybaby ass. All that cryin' shit don't mean a thing. Go ahead and do it,” he whispered in my ear.

I watched as tears rolled down Mr. and Mrs. Davidsons' faces. Deep down I knew these innocent people didn't deserve to die; all they wanted to do was keep their neighborhood free from drugs. But Black was right; if I didn't, I would be spending the rest of my days behind bars, and God knows I didn't have that in me to do. So without hesitation and assistance from Black, I pulled the trigger, shooting Mr. Davidson in the head, killing him instantly, before quickly turning the gun on his wife and shooting her right between the eyes.

“Good girl,” Black said as I let my arm fall down to my side, letting the gun drop to the floor.

“I gotta go,” I said mentally, physically, and emotionally drained and slowly turned to walk away.

“Wait a minute,” Black said, stopping me in my tracks.

I turned around and watched as Black walked behind his desk and grabbed the two duffle bags of money I had given him.

“Here, take this wit' you,' he said, tossing them at my feet.

I looked at Black with a confused look on my face.

“This one's on the house.” He smiled.

“Why are you givin' me my money back?” I asked.

“You deserve it, boss bitch.” He winked before turning to walk away.

Without saying another word, I picked up the two duffle bags and headed out to my car. I threw the money in the back seat, got in the car, and cried like a baby.