Her Sweetest Revenge 3 Page 6

  Chapter 8

  I was groggy as hell standing in the kitchen, and Hood was to blame. We had stayed up late the night before playing dominos. I beat him six games straight and he would not give up. He knew I was the dominos champion in the house, not to mention he had been taking tequila shots all night. I took advantage of that. In the end, the only thing that pried him from the table was my soft lips. Now I was paying for it. I had to be up early, but all I wanted to do was go get back in bed.

  Hood was wide awake, though. Only he could take tequila shots straight and wake up energized and ready to hustle. Not me. I was groggy and wished I was in bed instead of listening to Hood handle business.

  “Just set up the meeting for later today. No later than five, I have other shit on my plate tonight. I know that—” Hood paused. “I don’t give a fuck.”

  Hood boasted on his cell, so I knew he was talking to Lonzo. I was loading the last few dishes in the dishwasher from breakfast. I had to be at the salon early. One of my clients was getting married and I had to get her head beat for the wedding. She was already a nervous wreck, so I did not want to be late. Plus my new stylist, Nora, was starting today and I had to show her around and introduce her to everyone.

  “Look, I got to run over to the Brewster for about an hour, hit me up with the time. Nigga, don’t botch this. And let her know that this shit is urgent. A’ight.”

  The word “her” caught my attention. Who the hell was “her”? I shut the dishwasher and headed for Hood just as he ended the call.

  “So who is ‘her’? You meetin’ with a chick?”

  “Yeah, I gotta meet with that Quad bitch. You know, the one runnin’ that new squad.”

  I shook my head. I knew who he was talking about. I remembered Lonzo mentioning her a few weeks back. But I still didn’t understand why Hood had to meet with her. I guess that question was written on my face, so without any more questions he explained.

  “Them li’l niggas she got on her squad runnin’ around the city reckless and actin’ wild. They tried that shit on one of my blocks last night and my guys killed two of them. So I’m going to meet with her before shit gets any crazier. If I don’t, the streets about to be stupid ignorant.”

  “Who all going with you to meet with her?”

  “Lonzo and a couple of my beasts.”

  That I understood. You always took your best because you never knew how things would go down. Situations could go from calm to war in a matter of seconds. You just had to be prepared. I still could not believe that a bitch was in charge of a squad. That was a first in Detroit. We had some ruthless chicks around the city, but none took on a squad. Clearly, she was not from around here.

  “Okay, but don’t you be smilin’ and talkin’ all sweet to that female.”

  Grabbing me into a bear hug, he whispered in my ear sweetly, “Why, are you jealous?”

  I looked up at him and smiled. “No, but I will pop a cap in a bitch quick about my husband. You tell her that.”

  We both started laughing as our lips locked in a deep, passionate kiss.

  “Now that is what’s up,” Hood said as we came up for air.

  “Okay, I have to get going. I can’t be late for Nesa’s hair or she gone be trippin’. She already a nervous wreck and thinking everything gone go wrong.”

  “Yeah, well, wish them well for me.”

  “No doubt I will. And you keep your head today, be cool and careful.”

  “No worries, babe. I will hit you later.” He reached down and gave me one last kiss on the lips before I turned and reached for my keys.

  When I arrived at the salon, Trina and Pam were standing around chopping it up. I asked Pam if she had contacted all of Rochelle’s clients to let them know of the change. As I expected, she had.

  “Good, good. So from now on, Nora will take them, and Trina, you and I can take on a few.”

  “That’s cool, we will do what we got to.”

  “Nora has two scheduled already this morning,” Pam informed me.

  “Okay, well, she should be here in a minute. I will show her around and take her to her new area. When Nesa gets here, take her on back. Did you bring in the fruit tray and wine, Pam?”

  “Girl, please, you know I did. Hell, with the night I had, I can’t wait to get a swallow.”

  “I guess that means Chris came over last night.” Trina smiled.

  “He sure did.” Pam blushed.

  Chris was her new boo thang and they were horny for each other like two teenagers. So when he was around they barely ate or drank anything, because only one thing mattered to them: sex.

  “Pam, you two are off the chain.” I grinned.

  “Well, ain’t nothin’ wrong with it,” Trina chimed.

  “Don’t worry, you gonna meet someone.” Pam looked at Trina.

  “Well, I don’t know about all that, but I’m leaving early today. I got me a little date tonight.”

  “With who?” I asked.

  “Just some guy I met.”

  “Do tell.”

  Pam sat down in her chair waiting to be dished the dirt.

  “Look, it ain’t much to tell right now, but I will tell you all about the date, blow by blow, okay.”

  I was just about to force the issue when the door flew open and Nora walked in. With smiles on our faces, we jumped into business mode. After reintroducing Nora to Pam and Trina, I showed her around the salon and then left her to prepare for her first client. It felt strange leaving her in Rochelle’s booth area. In some ways, I felt like I had abandoned Rochelle. Yeah, Nesa needed to hurry up because I could not wait to open that bottle of wine, either. I needed a drink.

  Chapter 9

  It was ladies’ night out at the club. No men would be tagging along. Monica was geeked that she finally was going to have the fun that she asked for. As we rounded the corner that opened up into the dance floor, we noticed a tall guy standing close to the bar staring at us. We didn’t give him a second thought and continued to our destination. Monica followed me, looking around in awe. This was her first time inside this club or any club. Actually, I was proud that this was her first time, because where we come from, in the Brewster, chicks start sneaking in clubs when they are like fifteen, doing everything that the grown people do. But somehow, Monica had missed all of that. I was glad because tonight was new to her and she had something to look forward to. As her older sister, I would introduce her to that experience in a safe, respectable way. Not out acting crazy and taking stupid risks.

  We stepped inside our normal VIP area, where Trina and her cousin, Sheila, were already sitting on one of the sofas sipping on margaritas. By the glee on their faces, I knew they were already tipsy.

  “What’s up, chicas?” I spoke.

  “Gettin’ it in.” Trina raised her glass in my direction and bobbed her head to Ciara’s “Body Party.”

  “What’s up, Mya,” Sheila spoke.

  I knew her from the salon. Trina had brought her through a couple of times. She was really cool. Her life was complicated, though. Her baby’s father had run out on her and left her with five kids. She worked hard to take care of them without any government help. I was proud of her; not too many young females stepped up like that. After introducing Sheila to Monica, we headed over to the VIP bar to grab some drinks. Monica was not yet twenty-one, but she did drink. Plus, she was my sister, so no one would dare ID her. When she came over to the house to hang out, I would give her wine or make margaritas. After Dad had first gone to prison, we would sneak into his liquor stash and drink it when Ma was not around. The memory made me blush. Li’l Bo and I would get tipsy and bump into walls. We would laugh until our stomachs ached.

  “Mya, this club is nice.” Monica stirred the olive around that was inside her martini before taking a sip.

  “I know. Make sure you enjoy yourself.” I grinned.

  “Trust me, I will,” she said as she bit into her olive.

  “Hey, bitches!”

  I heard Le
slie yell as she stepped out of the VIP area. I looked around and spotted her at the bar chatting with some females. They were probably chicks she knew from her block. But I knew she would be hanging with us in VIP. And in no time we had turned up.

  We took a seat for a minute after we had been dancing for a minute. Our VIP waiter came over with a bottle of Cristal. As he sat it on ice in front of us, I looked at him long and hard.

  “We didn’t order this.”

  “No it was a gift,” the waiter spoke up.

  He tilted his head a little to the right and pointed. Without another word, the waiter walked away. His finger led us to the tall light-skinned guy that Monica and I saw staring at us earlier as we entered the club. I looked at Monica and she shrugged her shoulders, because neither of us knew who the dude was.

  “Well, let’s drink up and continue to turn up,” Leslie chanted as she reached for the bottle.

  The waiter returned with glasses. Before long, we were halfway through the bottle and more krunk than ever. Without being invited, the unknown dude stepped into our VIP area. Normally, I would have checked him, but for some reason I was on chill. He stopped in front of Monica and me looking from one of us to the other.

  “Hi, I’m Rich,” he said.

  I looked at him like I was unimpressed and Monica never said a word. Rich smiled.

  “I, ahh, I sent this bottle over as a token of appreciation for attending my club tonight. I’m the owner.”

  I knew Ripple Turn was getting a new owner because the last owner had sold the place. Apparently, he had cheated on his wife so many times with the girls that ran up through there that she had filed for divorce. The only way she agreed to stay with him and call off the divorce was if he sold the club. But I had no idea who he had sold it to. This dude was corny as hell.

  I chuckled because if that was some type of line he had just given for buying the drink, it sucked. And besides, we could care who he was, so why he felt the need to introduce himself was beyond me.

  “So did you buy a bottle of Cristal for everyone attending the club tonight?”

  With his eyes glued on Monica he replied, “No, this table is special.”

  I looked from Rich to Monica and, to my surprise, she was blushing and loving the attention that Rich was giving her. I mean, to be honest, dude was fine as hell, but he could step out of my sister’s face. I didn’t care who he was, but this was not that. The mug on my face said just that.

  “Well, you ladies enjoy your bottle and have a good night.”

  I was glad to see his corny ass walking away.

  “Hmmm, he sure had his eyes glued on you, Monica,” Leslie commented.

  “Ummm, no he didn’t.” Monica took a big swallow of her margarita, polishing off what was left.

  “Well, that doesn’t matter, because he is too old for Monica,” I added.

  Monica laughed. She knew my protective instincts had kicked in and she loved to toy with me.

  “That is to be determined.”

  I looked at her and smiled. That girl was every bit of Li’l Bo, a hard head.

  After finishing off that bottle of Cristal, not one of us could sit down. We danced until we fell down. When Monica started to nod, I knew it was time to leave. She was not used to how we could party. We were vets, we could go on and on, but it was time to bounce. After tipping the waiter about five hundred, we grabbed our stuff and prepared to leave.

  We were almost out of the club when I saw Rochelle sitting at a table near the dance floor. I decide to go over and speak. To be honest, I was shocked to see her out. As I was walking up to her table, I noticed this guy that I had never seen before sitting with her. He had his face so close to hers that I just knew he was about to kiss her.

  I stepped into their space. “Hey, Rochelle,” I spoke.

  “Hey, Mya.” She smiled. I had not seen her smile in so long that I blinked.

  “I didn’t know you would be out tonight.”

  Not that she told me anything anymore. I never heard a word from her.

  “I guess I didn’t either, but my new friend here, Kalil, asked me out. So here I am. Kalil, this is my girl, Mrs. Mya.”

  Rochelle’s words were slurred and her eyes looked dilated; she just did not look right. Kalil looked at me and spoke, but I was not interested in speaking back. I did not know him but everything about him read hustler and loser. He reminded me of Dontae, one of Rochelle’s previous loser boyfriends. One thing I knew for sure, Rochelle did not need him in her life at this point. I had no idea where she found these guys.

  Her eyes met Monica for the first time. “Oh, hey, Monica, what you doing in the club?”

  “Just hanging out with Mya,” Monica managed. The look on her face showed that she was worried about Rochelle, but she was under the influence of the drinks, so she could not respond.

  “Ummm, Rochelle, you ready to go home? I could drop you off,” I offered.

  “Oh, no, I’m cool. Kalil gone make sure I get home. I’m good.”

  That didn’t surprise me at all. I figured she would say that. But I wasn’t ready to give up.

  “Are you sure? It won’t be a problem,” I reassured her.

  “Look, li’l momma, I got this,” Kalil had the nerve to say.

  How dare that nigga address me. I swung my head around to Kalil. Clearly, he had me fucked up. “My name is Mya.” I rolled my eyes at him so hard it hurt. If she wanted to ride with his lame ass, I did not care. “Rochelle, I’ll talk to you later.”

  With nothing else to say, I continued out of the club. I almost spit in that nigga’s face, calling me li’l momma. He don’t know me like that.

  Chapter 10

  It had been a couple of days since Hood had that meeting with Quad. I had been so busy that I forgot to ask him how it went. When I left for the salon this morning, he was asleep so he stopped by the salon just to kiss me good morning. I loved when he did things like that, to me that was romantic. Our connection was just as tight as when we first got together.

  “You have to stop waking up and leaving like that. I miss you even more when you do that,” Hood said, hugging me so tight that I could not breathe.

  “Babe, you gone squeeze me to death,” I joked.

  “I’m sorry. I just missed you. I had to have you in my arms ASAP.”

  Before he was done, he had kissed my entire face. I was blushing like a girl who had just fallen in love. In fact, that was how I felt. That’s how I always felt when it came to Hood. He always made me number one.

  “So how did the meeting go the other day with Quad?”

  “It went okay. I told her straight up to get that shit under control or we gone have a problem. And they don’t want it.”

  Hood was straight up like that. His heart was big, but his killing mentality was bigger. The streets knew that he would bring the heat.

  “I ran into Rochelle at the club the other night and she was with this guy called Kalil. You ever heard of a dude who goes by Kalil in the streets? He looks just like a hustler, his demeanor and all.”

  I had not told Hood before about seeing them in the club. I had forgotten all about it with me being so busy. But I woke up with Rochelle on my mind so I thought this was a good time to ask about Kalil.

  “If he is who I think, he is a new cocaine dealer to the area. Petty shit, nothin’ major, but he heated in the streets.”

  Those were the exact words that I did not want to hear.

  “And for real, for real you need to see what’s up with Rochelle, because Kalil is in the fast lane.”

  “Damn, babe, what I am going to do? Right now Rochelle ain’t Rochelle. I don’t know what to do.”

  “Look, babe, you will figure out something.” Hood tried to sound convincing, but I was not so convinced at that exact moment.

  “Where Lester at?” Hood looked around like he expected to see him walk in.

  “I don’t know, he ain’t been comin’ in.” I sighed, frustrated thinking about Rochelle.
>
  Nora walked in. “Oh, I’m sorry, I can come back,” she apologized when she saw Hood.

  “No it’s cool, come on in. This is my husband, Hood. Hood, this Nora, the new stylist.”

  “What’s up?” Hood spoke.

  “Hi.” Nora reached out to shake Hood’s hand. “Mya, I’ll come back.” Nora walked away this time before I could protest.

  “I’m out. Got make these stops.” Hood bent down and kissed me on the lips. “Aye, meet me tonight at Flat Bar and Grill. I got a taste for stir-fry.”

  “It’s a date.” I smiled. He knew how much I loved stir-fry.

  As Hood exited, I bounced down in my chair and my mind pondered over Rochelle. I grabbed my cell phone and hit Rochelle. It went straight to her voicemail, so I left a message.

  Chapter 11

  It was Saturday and I was in my cleaning mood. I woke with the past on my mind. I remembered how my mom would get us all up on a Saturday morning and have us all cleaning. Li’l Bo, Monica, and I would argue over who should be doing what, even though Ma had already given us instructions. By the time Momma put on some music, like Evelyn “Champagne” King, we would all be grooving to the beat and in good spirits. Dad would be out doing his thing making the money. All we had to do was not worry about anything. Had I known then that his life would bring our family to our knees, I would have begged him to stop. But now, in some ways, we have had a second chance.

  So this morning with those thoughts on my mind, I turned on some Evelyn “Champagne” King and started cleaning. I was running around with a DustBuster singing along with Evelyn’s “Betcha She Don’t Love You” just as the doorbell rang. I strolled over to open the door. I knew it was Monica because she had called first thing, saying she would be stopping by for minute. As I swung the door open I expected to see her and Imani, but she was alone.

  “Hey, sis, where Imani?”

  “Dad and Ma have her. They taking her to Chuck E. Cheese today, so I’m free to do whatever.”