Her Sweetest Revenge 2 Page 2

  But suddenly the look in his eyes was no longer the response I was looking for. Without warning that look had disappeared. “I have to do this. The deal is already in place. I sealed it tonight.” My heart dropped into my knees. I had given the speech too late; this was not about to end. It all was clear. More deals meant more obligation to the game. This meant more chances to get killed or go to prison, a cycle that never ends. Constantly watching your back and dodging the haters. Suddenly I felt tired. I needed sleep. Without another word, I stepped around Hood and headed to my bedroom, defeated.

  Chapter 4

  “Hey, come on in.” Ma greeted me and Hood at the front door, giving us both a hug. We had come over to hang out and have dinner. With all of us having pretty busy schedules, we rarely got to spend time together anymore. Normally, we try to get together every couple of months or so, then go down to the prison to visit Dad. He liked it best when we all came at the same time. But we all had crazy schedules, especially mine; it was just complicated. Not to mention that ride was long as hell. It was worth it, though.

  “Ummm, it smells good. It’s my favorite, enchiladas, right?” I wiggled my nose around to sniff out the food. The aroma was overwhelming. I could hardly wait. My stomach instantly went into growl mode. She knew I loved her enchiladas—they were bomb, to say the least.

  “Yep. And I hope you both brought your appetite. Because I been out shopping and slaving all day to make this.” She looked happy to see us. Each time I saw my mother it still warmed my heart that she had been clean for two years. She was a totally different person with her own identity now. For so many years she had just been Lester’s wife. Now she stood on her own two feet. I was so proud of her: now Monica and I had someone in our family we could look up to. After Li’l Bo was killed, I blamed her and her drug use for his untimely death. I felt if she had been there for him, he would have never turned to the streets. But deep down I knew she was not to blame, at least not for all of it. The truth was, Detroit had some mean-ass streets that could not wait to swallow the young and black whole. Shit was crazy like that in the D.

  “There go my baby! Come to Auntie.” Imani giggled when she saw my face. She was sitting on the floor playing with some toys. She had been walking for about four months. Slowly getting up, she strided over to me. I loved her so much. She was an identical twin to Monica; the only thing she had that reminded any of us of Luscious was his dark skin and bowed legs. I scooped her up into my arms and gave her a kiss.

  After bouncing Imani up in the air for a couple of minutes while listening to Ma and Hood stand behind me having a conversation, I noticed Monica was nowhere in sight. This was noticeable because normally she is the first one you see when you come by, especially on the nights we get together to eat.

  “Where Monica at?” I questioned, looking around. Curiosity got the best of me. So I just asked.

  “She in her room,” Ma replied, then continued her conversation with Hood.

  Before I put her down, I gave Imani another hug and kiss. I decided to sneak up on Monica. But before I could act on it, Monica was approaching me and she wasn’t alone. Standing behind her was a boy with long dreads on his head. His skin tone was that of a banana and he stood about five foot nine and weighed at least 170 pounds. He was a cutie. That I could not deny. But what the hell was he doing here? I’m sure that exact question was written all over my face and Monica read it right away. She smiled at me.

  “What’s up, sis? I thought I heard you guys come in. What’s up, Hood?” Monica looked over me and greeted him. I turned to Ma to give her a “what the hell” glance but she dipped into the kitchen. She knew I would be throwed.

  “Anthony, this is my badass sister, Mya. Didn’t I tell you she was a hottie?” Monica looked at Anthony and winked her right eye. If she was trying to smooth me over, that would not be enough. “This is her husband, Hood.” Monica finished introducing us still wearing a grin on her face.

  “Hey.” Anthony reached out to shake my hand. Then he hit Hood with a pound they are known for doing on the block.

  I was still dumbfounded as I searched for some words. “Monica, can I speak to you for a minute, alone?” Without waiting for her answer, I grabbed Monica by the hand and all but pulled her into her bedroom.

  “Who the hell is he? And why is he coming out of your room? Just because I don’t live here anymore does not mean you can have guys in your room, Monica. You are only seventeen.” I waved my hand in her face. For just a second I felt ridiculous. I was acting more like her mother than a sister.

  I think Monica felt the same way because with the grin finally wiped off her face, she stared me down with her arms folded. “You are right about one thing, you don’t live here anymore. As I recall, you got married and moved out, or did you forget?” She actually had the nerve to try and pop off.

  “Hold up. I know you ain’t talkin’ shit.” I got defensive. Because one thing I knew for sure: Monica was not crazy and she knew how I could get. I was always in the “I am the big sister and will whup your ass” mode.

  “No, Mya.” She rolled her eyes toward the ceiling, but produced a smile that calmed me. “Look, Mya, Anthony is just a friend. And he was not in my bedroom. He asked if he could use the bathroom. After showing him where it was, I went to my room to grab my earrings. So chill. You know I would not be tryin’ to get busy while Ma and Imani right in the livin’ room,” she explained, and I thought she had a point. But I still would not let her off that easy.

  “Well, since you two just friends, why is he here on family night?”

  Monica sighed. She knew I was just being Mya. “Because I want you and Hood to meet him. We been kickin’ it for a minute. Plus we been out on a couple of dates and to be honest, I’m really feelin’ him. Besides, he is a hottie. Don’t deny it.” Monica grinned and nudged my shoulder.

  I had to smile because she was so right. Even though I was looking at him sideways, I had noticed his good looks right away. “A’ight, I ain’t gone lie, he cute as hell.” I continued to grin, but turned serious again. “You be careful, though. Because you have Imani to think about, okay.”

  “I know, and she always comes first, you know that. Never second-guess it.” I knew she meant it. Monica loved Imani to no end. She would lay her life down for her, I was certain of it. I decided to give her a break for now and reached out and gave her a big sisterly hug. I loved my family so much. We were all we had and we had to protect that. No one would come between us.

  Monica and I found our way back into the living room where Hood and Anthony were now chopping it up. Ma was at the dining table putting Imani in her high chair, which meant it was time to eat. And I was hungry, so I could not wait. We all laughed and talked during dinner and the food was great; all in all, the night turned out okay. Anthony seemed like an okay dude. I found out that he was nineteen so he was a little older than Monica. He was from Florida, but had moved with his family to Detroit more than a year ago. I felt comfortable with his answers, but that was not enough. On our ride home I told Hood to keep an eye on him and to ask around town about him. Something told me he was a hustler. Detroit was crawling with them. I mean, let’s face it, ain’t much else here to do unless you gonna get a low-paying job or got a degree. And there was nothing about Anthony that read college. His swagger fit the quota of a bona fide hustler.

  “Mya, let me tell you about Wynita last night.” Rochelle smacked her lips. And since it was about her mom, Ms. Wynita, I knew the story was gone be wild. Ms. Wynita was no joke. “Now, she been bugging me about going to revival all week with her and Tiny. Last night I said forget it, I’ma go because I been wantin’ to get into church but just been too busy. So I get dressed because she says she gone swing by the house and pick us up. I had already told her I could drive, but she was like ‘no I’ma pick you up, just sit tight.’ You know how she is: I was not about to argue with her, so I say cool.” Rochelle shrugged her shoulders.

  “Girl, we get to revival, everythang
was cool. The service was nice. I really enjoyed myself. After church one of her church members asked her for a ride home, which I was cool wit’. How about on the ride they gone decide they wanna stop by another church to attend their revival since it was going on later than theirs? I’m like, Momma it’s late, so drop me and Tiny off at my place. She talkin’ about I should just go with them. That is when I knew she was trippin’. I’m like, Momma I got to work early in the morning. I’m opening up the salon. So she dropped us off at the house. Mya, how about she gone call me at twelve o’clock at night cussing me out. Accusing me of making them miss the service. I’m like, what, do you know what time it is? I’m in the bed. She on the other end of the phone still screaming at me. Talkin’ about don’t ask her to pick me up for church no more. When she the one offered to pick me up. Hell, she damn near demanded.”

  I was laughing too hard listening to Rochelle tell her story. “Rochelle, you know Ms. Wynita ain’t gone change. And she still be hoeing you every chance she get.” I continued to laugh.

  “Girl, she is off the chain. And you used to think your family was dysfunctional.” Rochelle laughed. “How did dinner go last night with Ms. Marisa and Monica?” She changed the subject.

  This I could not wait to tell her. “Well, dinner was fine but I got a little surprise named Anthony.”

  “What? Ms. Marisa got a new man?” Rochelle got hyped. And as usual, her assumption was way wrong.

  “Hell, no.” I sat up to tell her this story. I had been slumped back in my chair.

  “Oh snap, you mean Monica got a new dude?”

  “Yep. I get there and they coming out the back of the condo like they coming from her room. And of course I quickly jumped to that conclusion.”

  “Don’t tell me you cussed that damn dude out. Not her new man, Mya. ’Cause I know how you be trippin’.” She always accuses me of overreacting when it comes to Monica. And maybe it is true, but she is my baby sister.

  “Whatever.” I threw my right hand up waving off Rochelle’s comment. “But I wanted to,” I admitted. “Anyway, Monica claim she had showed him to the bathroom, which was cool. My main concern was who was this nigga? And where in the hell did he come from out the damn blue?” I was still curious.

  “Wait, what he look like?” I gave her an annoyed sigh then rolled my eyes. All she was concerned about was what he looked like.

  “He cute, about five-nine, redbone with dreads. Nigga look just like a thug to me,” I added.

  “Ummmm, I can’t wait to meet him. What Hood say?”

  “Not much really, but he gone be checkin’ him out, though. But Monica claim they just friends. And peep this: they been on some dates already. And not once has she ever mentioned him to me. We used to be close.” I pouted. The fact that she held it from me made me sad. She always told me everything.

  “Mya, you know why she didn’t tell you. You too protective. She knows you gone question her decision.” Rochelle never bit her tongue. She could always be counted on to keep it one hundred.

  I knew what Rochelle was saying about my being protective was the truth, but I had to be. My family was my responsibility and I took that very seriously.

  It was not my intention to smother Monica. “I just want to make sure that she is okay. She got Imani to think about and she needs to graduate. And the last thing she needs is to end up pregnant again.” It angered me to even think that she would ruin her life.

  I knew Rochelle understood me. She had dropped out of school when she got pregnant with Tiny. Those were hard times for her with Ms. Wynita working all the time. But Monica had stayed in school and was doing really good. She was on the honor roll and was really focused on her future. And I wanted her to remain that way. The last thing she needed at this point in her life was for some gangster to come around and cloud that vision for her. I would not allow that to happen. She had worked too hard.

  “Don’t worry, she will be fine.” Rochelle pulled out a pack of Newport cigarettes even though she knew there was no smoking in this building. The girl never learned. I think she just liked to hear me fuss.

  “What are you doing? You know you better get outside with that cancer stick,” I joked. But she knew I meant it.

  “Dang, I’m on my outside cigarette police.” Rochelle got up with a smile on her face. “I’ll be back in a minute. My next appointment is in twenty minutes.” Almost forgetting her cell phone, she doubled back.

  “A’ight, I’ma go in here and schedule me an appointment with Renee since you booked for the rest of the day. I cannot be going home to my man with my head looking like this.” I checked out my hair in the mirror. To me it was a mess, but I’m sure it looked good to others. I had grown my hair back out from that short hair do I had like Kandi from the Real Housewives of Atlanta. I now wore it long with curls or straight like Porsha on the Real Housewives of Atlanta. Most days I wore it straight with no curls. It was easier to manage that way, but today I was feeling the curls. After setting up my appointment with Renee, I jumped into my silver 2012 Cadillac Escalade that I had picked up a few weeks earlier and headed over to Dugans Hotwings. They were located on the Morningside side of Detroit and had some of the best hot wings ever made. After picking up a one-hundred-piece and some fries, enough for all the girls at the salon, I headed back.

  Chapter 5

  Driving home from a long day at the salon, I started to yawn. I had done two heads before sitting down with Renee to get my own head done. And after eating some of the hot wings and fries I had picked up earlier from Dugans, I was tired. I could not wait to get home, shower, and jump in the bed. It would be at least another four hours before Hood came in. But as I pulled into my driveway I saw two vehicles parked outside. We owned eight vehicles ourselves. We had moved out to Ann Arbor, Michigan, into a seven-hundred-ninety-five-thousand-dollar, six-car garage home. It was a lovely home, although a bit too big for us, in my opinion. But I guess with all the cars we needed the space. However, the allred Flying Spur Bentley and all-black Tahoe truck in the driveway did not belong to us.

  Inside I heard loud voices all going at the same time, not arguing, but an intriguing conversation. I slammed the door loudly so that I could be heard coming in. By the time I started down the hall, Hood appeared. I gave him a look that clearly said, What the hell is going on?

  Hood walked up to me and kissed me on the cheek. “Hey, babe.”

  Not saying anything, I just looked at him. He knew where I stood on niggas hanging out at our house.

  “Sorry about the noise. I got some guys over I want you to meet. Come on in.” Without giving me a chance to respond, because he knew it was a chance I would pop off, he grabbed me by my left hand and led me into the den. Inside I laid my eyes on Rob, Pablo, and three other guys that I had never before seen in my life. “Babe, this Dontae, Rico, and Silk.” Hood pointed toward each of them. “This my wife, Mya.” He then introduced me to them. They all spoke, including Rob and Pablo.

  “Hi,” I managed before turning and walking away. There was no way I could fake a smile. I wanted those unknown pushers out of my crib. I could not believe Hood had brought these niggas up in my house. He knew I did not play that shit. No meeting in my home. Rob and Pablo came over all the time, but they were Hood’s friends. They played video games, watched football and basketball sometimes, but never came for business; not in my house. After grabbing a Diet Pepsi out of the fridge I went upstairs to my room.

  Once in my room I thought about the guys Hood had just introduced me to. I had taken mental notes of all of them. Dontae was tall, about six foot three, with muscles. He was a deep dark chocolate color with a shaved head. Rico looked to be mixed Hispanic and black. He was tall also, about six foot one, but he was skinny with a mouth full of gold. I immediately concluded he was from the south. Silk was a little more peculiar. He was medium height, about five foot nine, medium built with a low fade haircut, and a mocha skin tone. He had this long cut on the right side of his face, which I’m sure he wore as a
badge of honor. The cut appeared to have been there for a long time. Everything about all of them read dope game.

  As I prepared to get into the shower, Hood entered the room. His company must have left. Upset, I could not keep quiet. I was ready to bitch.

  “I know you ain’t left them niggas in the den.” I sucked my teeth.

  “Nah, babe, you know better than that. They just left.” Hood reached for the remote to the television in our room.

  I turned to face him. “What were you thinkin’ bringing them here? You know I don’t like you having those types in my house!” I referred to Dontae, Rico, and Silk.

  “Babe, I know, but this was a last-minute meeting. I had come by the crib to grab something when I got the call from Pablo. So I just told him to bring them out here. It was faster because everybody was in a rush and got somewhere to be. You know I wouldn’t have ’em here if I had a choice.”

  “Look, Hood, don’t bring that shit up in here where we lay our head. I don’t give a fuck what the reason.” I had to be clear.

  “I know that, Mya. Just chill, a’ight, I got a lot riding on this. It’s gone bring in some major money. But I’m sorry I brought them here and I hear what you sayin’.” He attempted to apologize, but it only made me angrier. He already knew my position on money. We did not need any because we had plenty. Plus our house and cars were paid for. I was sick of hearing that. I raised both my hands to either side of my temples and rubbed them. I could feel a migraine coming on.

  “Please don’t say anything about money to me again. FUCK THAT!!” I yelled. I was really frustrated with this issue. The conversation was becoming old. To make matters worse, he was having meetings in our home, our safety net. “You need to get out, Hood. Point blank and fucking period. I could care less if you made another penny from the drug game. You have made your share; don’t be greedy.” I tried to calm down and change my tone. I didn’t want to be pissed to make my point. “I’m your wife. I love you. And I just want what is best for us.”