Power (2 page)

Chapter 3

Pay What You Owe

A little bad-ass kid named Day-Day stood in front of the apartment building and chomped away at some cotton candy. Most kids were in school, but not Day-Day; he’d been suspended for feeling some little girl’s butt in class. It was the third girl he’d felt up before the principal finally suspended his ass. Even at the young age of nine years old, Day-Day seemed destined for a stint in the penitentiary.

“Hey lil’ man you know where Tee lives?” Deion asked Day-Day as he and Reggie approached. Day-Day licked his fingers and stared at Deion, looking him up and down before answering.

“It depends.”

“Depends on what?” Deion asked.

“Depends on who wants to know.”

“I wanna know,” Deion said, a little put off by the kid.

“You the police?”

“Do I look like the police?”

“Hell yeah!” Day-Day laughed.

Reggie and Deion stared at each other before laughing, then Deion said, “Look lil’ man, tell us where Tee lives and I will give you some more cotton candy.”

“Do I look like I want some more damn candy?” Day-Day popped.

Deion pulled out a ten-dollar bill and passed it to Day-Day. The boy closed his bag of cotton candy and tucked the bill in his pocket. Then he turned to Reggie and asked, “Where’s yours?”

“Lil nigga, you tryna hustle us?”

“I’m gonna count to five and if you don’t give me at least ten dollars, I ain’t telling ya’ll shit.”

“Stop cursing,” Deion demanded before Reggie pulled out a ten-dollar bill and passed it to Day-Day.

“Tee lives in 211, bitches,” Day-Day grinned and ran off.

Deion and Reggie shook their heads in dismay as they made their way to 211. They knocked on the door for a few seconds. A minute later a pretty young girl answered the door. Before she could say anything, a boney old woman with a grey Afro came running up behind her.

“We looking for Tee,” Deion informed them.

“I’m Tee,” the old woman announced.

“You not who we are looking for.” Deion stated, matter-of-factly.

“I’m the only Tee that lives here. There ain’t nobody here name Tee but me.”

“There ain’t no men in this house?” Reggie questioned before pushing the old woman inside the house and brandishing a gun. Before allowing either of them to answer he continued, “Well then you won’t mind if we look around for this motherfucker?”

“Don’t kill us,” the pretty young girl screamed out.

Deion pulled his gun out and fired a shot into the ceiling. “Would you shut the fuck up!”

The girl calmed down as she stood next to the old woman. “What do you want from us?”

“Where is Terrence?”

“Huh?”

Reggie heard some rumblings and disappeared into the back room. He kicked the door in and saw Terrence prying open a window to make an escape. He had one foot out when Reggie fired a shot that grazed Terrence’s ass.

“Fuck!” Terrence hollered as the window smashed the tip of his finger. Reggie leaped towards him and kicked Terrance in the same ass cheek where he’d fired the shot.

Deion heard all the commotion and led the two women into the back room at gunpoint. When they reached the bedroom, Deion barked, “Sit yawl’s asses on the bed and don’t move.”

“Okay, but please don’t hurt us,” the girl cried out.

Terrence was lying on the floor in the fetal position with his ass still burning from the hot bullet. Deion used his fresh out the box Nike and pressed Terrence’s face to the floor. “Where the hell is my motherfuckin’ money, Terrence?”

“Look, Deion man, I don’t have it. I ain’t got shit. If I had it man, you can get it.”

Deion kicked him in the face. “I need some collateral.”

“I saw this clown nigga riding a motorcycle a few days ago,” Reggie said, then gave a sarcastic laugh.

“Where’s the bike?” Deion wanted to know.

“That’s my son’s bike,” the old woman said.

“I don’t give a fuck whose bike it is. It’s my bike now.”

The woman started to say something but Deion slapped the shit out of her. “Why in the fuck did you lie to me anyway? How did you know to lie?”

She was lying back on the bed holding her jaw. Reggie aimed the gun continuing to taunt the old woman. “You heard him. Why did you lie?”

“Please don’t shoot. We heard y’all out there talking to Day-Day, asking about Tee. That’s the only reason we lied,” the young girl admitted between sniffles.

“I need for you to stand up,” Deion directed. “Do you have a man?”

Tee was still lying on the floor groaning. He muttered, “That’s my lady.”’

“You shut the fuck up!” Deion demanded, before turning his attention back to the girl. “What’s your name, young lady?”

“Trina.”

“Kind of a plain-ass name for such a beautiful bitch,” Deion commented rudely. Trina was a rich brown color and her hair was in two long braids like Pocahontas. Deion had Reggie take the old woman out of the room. Reggie yanked the old woman by the hair and led her out bound with plexicuffs.

“Please don’t do nothing to my girl,” Tee begged. His ass was leaking and he was in excruciating pain.

“Where is my bread?” Deion asked again, ignoring his pleas.

“Give me a week and I’ll give it to you. I promise.”

“Promises…promises,” Deion taunted, yanking Trina by one of her braids.

“Please don’t hurt me.” A river of tears rolled down her cheek.

“This ain’t about you. This is about your bitch-ass nigga boyfriend. He owe me and now he’s gonna pay.” Deion pulled out a knife from his back pocket and with ease and precision he let the sharp blade rip open Trina’s smooth skin. Blood gushed out of the right cheek of her face. The girl was silent for a few moments as if paralyzed in shock. Once the realization kicked in, an ear-piercing scream soared through the entire apartment, causing Reggie to rush inside the room.

“Deion, what the fuck did you do?” Reggie barked, noticing all the blood gushing from Trina’s face.

Deion looked at Reggie for brief moment before answering. “This is payback,” Deion said calmly.

“Man, this some bullshit!” Deion ignored Reggie and focused his attention on Tee, who was now in tears. He then turned towards Trina, who had both hands covering her face as the blood continued to flow through her fingers. She shook hysterically, clearly in pain and still in shock. But Deion felt no remorse. In all actuality the money Terrance owed was peanuts to him, but Deion didn’t give a damn. There was a code of the streets that he expected everybody to follow when it came to business. If Deion gave one nigga a pass then all of them would start thinking they could slide too, and he had no intentions of entertaining that bullshit.

“Now we’re even,” Deion stated, stepping on Terrance’s face before blasting him in the other ass cheek.

Chapter 4

Tunnel Vision

“You about to fuck everything up with your bullshit,” Alex scolded as he paced in his kitchen. Deion twirled around on the barstool, not really wanting to listen to what Alex had to say. Deion was a grown man so lectures weren’t his thing. He had a strong urge to tell Alex to shut the fuck up, but he knew what Alex was saying was on point.

“I’m telling you, man, this is the kind of shit that can get you sent away for a long time,” Alex warned Deion, hoping to reach him with reason. Deion turned away, not wanting to make eye contact with his partner and friend. “Are you listening to me?” The tension was quickly building between the two men.

Deion stopped twirling on the barstool and stared at Alex for a second before speaking. “All he had to do was pay me my fuckin’ money, simple as that. We wouldn’t be having these issues if that nigga would’ve handled his business.”

“Okay, money is one thing but why did you have to slice his girl’s face?” Deion was silent.

“You can’t tell me slicing his girl is about the money.”

Deion stood up from the barstool, but his eyes were still locked on Alex. He walked towards him and as he approached they were now almost nose-to-nose, because Deion was slightly shorter than his friend. “You’re right. Fuckin’ up his girl’s face wasn’t about the money.”

“Okay, if it wasn’t about the money, then what?”

“Principle. It’s about motherfuckin’ principles.”

“So slicing up a woman for no reason represents principles? You need to explain that to me, ‘cause I’m lost.”

“You know what, Alex? You too soft.  Sometimes it starts out with a motherfucker owing you ten thousand then a hundred thousand then more than that. Next thing you know, you working for
that
motherfucker.”

“You fuckin’ up, homie.” Alex paced, then turned to Deion. “So what happens when she files charges against you for assault with a deadly weapon? Then what are you going to do? Will you still think that principle bullshit you spittin’ was worth it?”

“It’s not gonna happen.”

“Oh, you know that for sure?” Deion was quiet again.  Although he tried to sound confident in his response, he knew Alex was right;  he didn’t know that for sure.

“And why the fuck is you selling coke anyway?”

“Why not?”

“Because I’m not trying to get indicted over your fuck ups! I told you we was gon’ fall back on the coke for a minute until we know for sure our shit ain’t hot.”

“What I do don’t have shit to do wit’ you.”

“Really, nigga? See that’s where you wrong. It has everything to do with me; we partners.”

“I would like to think of it like that, but the fact of the matter is, you have more than I do.”

“And who fault is that? It’s your lifestyle. Wasting money on every pretty bitch in Atlanta and the strippers too. You also have to be the first to buy the new body style before the shit hit the streets. I mean fuck, you can only drive one car at a time.”

“It’s my money. I can spend it the way I choose.”

“True, but don’t act like the paper in this partnership is lopsided just because you choose to throw money away and I don’t,” Alex shook his head as he stood on the spacious balcony, taking in the Buckhead & Midtown views. “The bottom line is, I’m not tryna win at this drug game just to end up losing anyway and get locked up ‘cause you can’t keep yo’ temper in check.”

“Nothing is gonna happen to me and nothing is gonna happen to you.”

“Look, man. These real estate investments are gonna make us look legit. At least legit on paper.” Alex’s face became serious. “If we don’t get locked up first.”

“Quit saying that.”

“Then you quit doing dumb shit. If things go my way, by this time next year we won’t even have to touch any type of drug if we don’t want to.”

Deion grinned and thought of the day he would be legit. Hustling was the only thing he’d ever thought he could do. He was envious of anybody that had made his or her money legit. Deion put his elbows on the counter, nodding his head and believing for the first time that the thought could actually become a reality.

“You heard from Tierney?” Deion questioned.

”How we jump from discussing you maintaining some self-control so we stay the fuck outta jail, to you asking me about my girlfriend? I guess that’s your way of saying you ready to move on from that conversation. But nah, I haven’t heard from her.”

“Really?”

“Why you sound surprised?”

“I thought the two of you was like this,” Deion said, crossing his fingers.”

“We cool.”

“From what my women telling me, you all are more than cool.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“They be asking me, ‘Why can’t you spoil us like Alex do Tierney?’” Deion mocked, imitating one of his many women. “Word from them is you keep Tierney in some new shit.”

“What the fuck. I ain’t bought Tierney nothing new since her birthday and that was months ago. It’s not like I mind buying her shit but I been busy. I haven’t had time to spend with her to get her anything new.”

“That chick Aimee I fuck wit’ said yo’ girl been posting all kinds of pics on Instagram, flossin’.”

“Like I said, I haven’t bought Tierney nothing in months.”

“If it ain’t you, then it’s somebody. You know how this game goes. If he payin’ then he fuckin’.”

“Maybe so, and that’s the exact reason why the only woman I trust is my mother. I don’t put nothing past these females.”

“But you can’t wife yo’ mother.”

“I already got a wife. I’m married to this money,” Alex nodded, rubbing his fingers together. “We took our vows and everything.”

“Go ‘head, and keep chasing that paper; that leaves more pussy for me,” Deion smirked.

“Yeah, nigga. Remember you said that shit next time you start complaining about why my money longer than yours,” Alex shot back.

*  *  *

“Isabella Loren is here,” the security guard in the lobby of his building said over the phone.

“Send her up,” Alex replied.

When Isabella entered Alex’s condo, he smiled and gave her a hug. When he let go, he couldn’t help but comment on the scent of her perfume. “What perfume are you wearing? I didn’t wanna let you go,” Alex confessed.

“Not sure, it was a gift from Joaquin. I can find out if you like.”

“He takes good care of you,” Alex commented, observing Isabella’s diamond link bracelet and iced out watch. From her shoe game to a simple black dress, everything about Isabella spoke money, and not new money either. She had that well-marinated money glow.

“He does his best,” Isabella smiled.

“You’re a good woman. It only makes sense that your husband would want to take good care of you. Where is Joaquin?”

“Back in Cali taking care of business.”

“What brings you here?”

“He told me to come talk to you.”

“You came all the way out here to talk?”

“Alex, you know we don’t do phones and barely send text messages. But let me get straight to the point. Joaquin doesn’t want to send anymore weed your way. It’s too hard to conceal and the money is not lucrative enough.”

“Listen, I understand that weed money ain’t coke money and I appreciate Joaquin accommodating me. But like I said before, I wanted to keep my risk low for a minute.”

“Is that minute up?” Isabella asked coyly. Alex didn’t say anything because he knew that Isabella was used to counting millions of dollars and her man Joaquin was one of the richest men that he’d ever dealt with. “Alex, aren’t you ready to be making a minimum of at least a million dollars a month? How would you like that?”

“No doubt. But honestly, one day I wanna get out of this business for good.”

“I like you, Alex. I really do,” Isabella smiled in a subtle yet flirtatious way. “That’s why I want to help you become wealthy. I want you to be able to spend money without ever being concerned over the price.”

“Since I’ve been trying to fall back a little, the money isn’t flowing like I’m used to, but I’m still doing pretty decent for myself.”

“The world is bigger than Atlanta, darling.”

“I know that, and I won’t pretend you haven’t piqued my interest. The quicker I can stack all this bread, the quicker I can retire from the game. What did you have in mind?”

“Heroin.”

“Oh hell no.”

“Why not?”

“It’s too dangerous and risky. That shit is a mandatory death sentence for users. Too much for the conscience, you know?”

“My grandfather always told me that in order for somebody to live, somebody must die.”