Trust No Bitch 2 Page 2

  Daphne could barely hold the steering wheel steady as she drove home. Her nerves were frayed and her mind was racing out of control. Visions of Donella's wig getting puffed out and her brains being sprayed all over the living room was already haunting her and the girl's body wasn't even cold yet.

  Before the meeting Daphne had held her composure under Kiam's intense questioning, making her studied lies sound authentic. She didn’t have to lie when he asked what her connection was to Wolfman and why she was willing to sell him out.

  “Because I hate that black bastard,” she replied.

  That was indeed the truth. She lived for the day she could help somebody knock him to his muthafuckin' knees.

  She had used the revulsion that she felt for Wolfman to help her convincingly lie on Donella. The clincher had been the picture; that shit had withstood Kiam's closest scrutiny. The marvel of photo shop had sealed poor Donella's fate.

  Daphne wondered if she had figured out which one of her so-called sistahs had set her up before Treebie's gun put her thoughts on the floor. She shook her head over the part that she had played in the complicity and reminded herself to Trust No Bitch.

  Her cell phone rung just as she pulled into her driveway. She parked next to DeMarcus' truck and reached into her purse. Her hand shook as she held the phone and stared at the screen. The call was from a restricted number which meant that it was her calling.

  Daphne nervously cleared her throat. “Hello?” she answered.

  “You did good. I'll have the rest of the money for you tomorrow. Remember, this stays between you, me and God. If you get loose lips on me I'll do to you what the Lord can't reverse.”

  The screen went blank.

  **********

  Once Treebie dropped off Bayonna she drove out to Lake Erie. Pulling up to the side of the bank, she deaded her headlights then parked under the nearest tree. Reaching into her bag she pulled out a blunt and lit up. Taking pull after pull, she tried to rationalize her actions. It had to be done.

  Tears weren't an option and neither was regret. Each of them had chosen their path. Prison or death would be the only way out. Treebie didn't give a fuck about Gator other than the sickening thought that she had swallowed a piece of that weak ass nigga. Just knowing a bit of him was in her digestive system made her want to stick a finger down her throat and force herself to throw up. She still couldn't believe Kiam had done that shit! But what stood out more was Donella's demise at her hands.

  Treebie puffed until the last bit of smoke left her fingertips then she grabbed her gun and got out. Walking over to the edge of the bank, she looked down at the tool that had ended life and love. She choked back her tears then tossed the gun as far out into the dirty lake as her strength allowed her.

  “Rest in peace, ma,” she said as she stepped back and just looked out over the water.

  **********

  Bayonna sat in the middle of her living room floor crying and laughing at the same time. She caressed the pages of a photo album full of vacation pictures that she and the girls had taken over the years. Each picture was filled with irreplaceable memories.

  Donella had always been the adventurous one which made their little trips so much fun. And in a blink of an eye that was all gone.

  Gator too.

  Donella had tried to warn her that fucking with him was gonna get her killed, but she hadn't been able to leave him alone. He had his flaws but away from the others he had been so sweet.

  I told you not to get at Riz's people. Damn baby, why didn't you listen? She reflected solemnly as the thought raised serious questions in her mind. She had refused to help him set up the robbery but obviously someone had.

  Treebie? Lissha? Bayonna tried to decide. Neither made much sense, but one of those bitches were guilty because she knew for sure Donella wouldn't have rocked like that. Donella was her thorough bitch and she would not have betrayed her with Gator. It didn't matter how high the evidence was stacked, Bayonna didn't buy that shit.

  That bitch came in there and lied on you Nella. But why? I was the one fucking with Gator.

  Guilt and anger grabbed ahold of her soul as the evening's chain of events clouded her mind. Hugging the open album to her chest, she began devising a plan.

  Bayonna dismissed all thoughts of going to Kiam and coming clean. She also decided against walking away from Blood Money; they had done too many things to turn back now. She was going to stick around and pretend to be as loyal as always until she found out which one of them had set Donella up. Then she was gonna murder that ass.

  “Nella, I owe you that,” she said affectionately as her tears dripped down on a photo of her and Donella on ski jets in Aruba.

  “You're my bitch for life,” she vowed. "Sleep in peace. I will avenge you.”

  **********

  Lissha rushed into her house and quickly closed the door. She looked down at her blood soaked clothing and immediately took off for the bathroom, stripping herself of each soiled article along the way.

  Slamming the bathroom door, she rushed to the sink and turned on the water. With the night's episode drumming in her head, she scrubbed her hands almost violently, desperately trying to rid herself of the blood from her sistah that stained her hands.

  Reaching in the medicine cabinet she grabbed her toothbrush and ran it back and forth across her nails as tears began to cascade down her cheeks. “Why, Nella?” She repeated to herself as she damn near scrubbed the skin from her hands.

  Heavy emotion took over her heart as she sat on the edge of the tub and cried. It seemed as if the pain was punishment for all the lives they had taken and all the misery they had caused.

  It’s your fault. Kiam’s words bounced through her mind. Lissha wrapped her arms around herself and rocked back and forth as the permanent picture of Donella laid stretched out with a hole in her head flashed through her memory every time she closed her eyes.

  Once Lissha was finally able to stand on steady legs, she turned on the shower, stepped inside and attempted to wash away the last traces of Donella’s blood. She watched it rinse down the drain, carrying with it a part of her that was lost forever.

  Her body felt laden as she reached to turn off the water and all of a sudden the burden of her secrets began to crack her hard shell. Her shoulders rocked as a loud sob escaped her lips and she fell back against the wall. For a moment she couldn't move. The pain in her heart seemed physical. She took a few deep breaths then willed her legs to move.

  Walking into her bedroom she felt even worse as her eyes scanned the many photos of her and the girls. Rushing to her dresser, she snatched each frame and threw them in a drawer—she could not face those happy memories at the moment. A breath of air came out her mouth in a whoosh as she fought back a sob and collapsed onto her bed.

  Caressing her pillow, Lissha silently cried and prayed for God to have mercy on Donella’s soul.

  When she felt she could talk, she picked up the phone from her nightstand and called Big Zo.

  “Hey baby girl,” he answered.

  “Daddy,” she managed to get out a little over a whisper.

  “Lissha, what’s the matter?” He sat up in his bunk with his ear pressed to the phone.

  “Daddy, everything is fucked up,” she blurted as tears began to flow down her face.

  “Lissha, calm down and tell me what’s wrong,” he pressed.

  “Donella is dead. Gator too.”

  Big Zo paused to allow her words to sink in. “I need you down here immediately,” he ordered in a stern voice then disconnected the call.

  Lissha rose to her feet and headed to her closet to get dressed and pack a bag. She needed to get out of the city right away.

  **********

  Big Zo dropped his cell phone on the bunk and ran a hand down his face as concern began to overtake his thoughts. Donella and Gator—dead? What the fuck happened? Is shit unraveling already? he fretted.

  Instinctively he knew that their deaths couldn't have been from an
enemy's bullets or else Lissha would have also reported that Kiam had slayed a whole community in retaliation. And Treebie would be going slap off killing everything moving.

  No, this had to be some in-house shit, he correctly concluded.

  Big Zo dropped his head and reflected back to when he had recruited Donella out of the strip clubs and onto his team. He had promised to change her life and he had definitely done that. Under his tutelage she had elevated from tricking for a little bit of a nigga's bank to balling with her own money. But now she was dead.

  Big Zo didn’t exactly know how he felt about that and whose ass would suffer for it until he found out what the fuck had happened. If Donella's death turned out to be unwarranted some heads were going to roll.

  He reached for his Newports and fired one up, inhaling the smoke deep into his lungs then blowing it out slowly as he tried to wrap his mind around the news.

  Gator too, Lissha had said.

  This made Big Zo reflect a couple years back.

  Big Zo awakened to the vibration of his cell phone. Trepidation leapt up in his chest because calls in the middle of the night were never good news. He was already stressing trying to keep his operation afloat from prison. “Hello?” he answered, sitting up and swinging his feet over the side of his bunk.

  “Old man, I got your daughter. If you want the bitch back alive you better have five bricks and $200,000.00 on deck the next time I call or I'm going to send you her obituary in the mail.”

  “Who in the fuck is this?”

  “I'm the one that you saw so much potential in before you went down.”

  The words resonated in Big Zo's mind with clarity, he had uttered them to a young boy named Trill. The kid had begun making a name for himself in the streets with his murder game and Big Zo had tagged him to become one of his enforcers. That union had never occurred because the Feds snatched Big Zo up, and now this little reckless clown was trying to extort him.

  “Muthafucka if you lay one hand on her I'll…”

  “You can't do shit from where you're at old man. Your reign is over and you're about to sponsor mine,” Trill cut him off with a chuckle in his tone.

  Big Zo remained calm, he was not the type to let another man force his hand. “What I'ma sponsor is your funeral if you harm Lissha,” he threatened.

  “You're at my mercy. You know not to fuck with me. Have that shit ready or prepare yourself to receive some condolences.” The phone went dead.

  Big Zo sprung up off his bunk and began pacing the cell as he tried to think of a way to turn the tables. He made a few frantic calls to the streets and found out that Trill was disliked by many. He also found out that Trill had a friend who could be flipped for the right price.

  A few phone calls later Big Zo talked to Gator for the very first time. After a long conversation he was convinced that Gator wasn't in on the kidnapping so he made him an offer that he couldn't turn down.

  As Big Zo awaited the next call from Trill, he had already devised the youngster's demise.

  The call never came because the cross was applied swiftly and ruthlessly. What Trill found out a second before Gator stamped his one-way ticket to hell was that in the game it's always the one closest to you that will take you out.

  Big Zo smiled at the memory; nothing beat the cross but the double-cross. There was no greater feeling than to be able to move niggas around like pawns on a chess board. He was still a boss even from behind the walls.

  Gator had been rewarded for selling his soul but he proved to be the wrong piece to the puzzle. Big Zo had no tears to shed over his death because in all honesty he had known that Gator’s life expectancy was short from the moment Kiam stepped out of prison. Still he needed details to put his mind at ease.

  Lissha needed to get her ass down there ASAP. He wanted to look in her eyes and see into her soul while she delivered her report. Her eyes could not lie to him like her mouth could.

  He stood up and paced back and forth in the small cell while trying to keep his mind from racing. Don't fuck up Lissha.

  He needed to re-strengthen his influence over her and keep her focused on the mission.

  Chapter 3

  Love or Loyalty

  Kiam pulled up in front of his condo, popped the trunk and jumped out. His left arm was still in a sling due to the gunshot wounds, but he managed to carry his bags inside. As he closed the door behind him his cell phone vibrated in his pocket.

  Kiam dropped the bags beside the couch and hurriedly answered. He was hoping that it was Eyez. When he finally dug the phone out of his pocket and saw a Pennsylvania number he knew exactly who it was. He had been expecting the call for days.

  “Hello,” he answered as respectfully as he could.

  “What's going on soldier? How are you?” Big Zo asked as he looked out his cell window at a huge expanse of nothing.

  “I'm good Pops. Had a few problems that had to be permanently erased but that happens from time to time. I'm sure you know how it goes.”

  “I do,” Big Zo confirmed. "And I just saw my little princess, she explained what happened. Are you sure that they were in violation?”

  “I did my homework,” Kiam assured him.

  “I trust that you did. It's just that I would've never expected the girl to violate,” said Big Zo purposely omitting names. “As for the other individual I wouldn't put it past him. He always felt he was owed more than I could ever give him for saving Lissha's life.”

  Kiam chuckled, he still didn't know that story but whatever it was it meant nothing now. Gator could not be resurrected. “Yeah?” he replied. “Well, that wasn't my debt. I didn't owe him nothin' but what he ended up gettin'.” His callousness was for Gator, it wasn't aimed at Big Zo.

  “Indeed,” Big Zo understood. He paused to gauge Kiam’s mood. “Is there anything else I need to know or do you feel I am well informed?”

  Kiam also paused for a minute to make sure he wasn’t in violation. “I trust that she would tell you everything,”

  “Don’t ever leave anything to chance. Real men always make sure.”

  Kiam nodded his head then put together a sequence of coded statements that detailed the treachery, murder and losses that had taken place. When he was done he sat down on the couch awaiting his mentor's verdict.

  “Is that all?”

  “Yes,” Kiam quickly responded.

  “Son, I know that I've placed a huge responsibility on your shoulders, but I have no doubt that you're capable of handling it. I don't have to question your officialness or your commitment to this thing of ours. Whatever problems arise, I am confident that you will do what is needed. Always act on knowledge and certainty. Emotion is a bitch’s game. If you need me, reach out. Don't do what you think I would do, do what you know I would do.”

  “I got you Pops,” Kiam affirmed.

  “Lastly, my daughter is hurting right now but she will get past it. Don’t coddle her. The last thing I want is a weak ass team. Make that trip and get us back on point.” He made his orders clear.

  “Already on it,” said Kiam.

  “I’m proud of you son. There is no other man whom I would've entrusted with this. Regroup and take over the city. No one is built to stop you.”

  “No one,” Kiam echoed confidently.

  Zo ended the call and stood staring out the window and thinking back to a time when the world was his and muthafuckas bowed at his feet. Now he was living life vicariously through Kiam. It wasn't much but it was all that he had.

  Kiam placed the phone on the coffee table as his heart filled up with pride and relief. Pops’ approval meant as much to him as Faydrah's love. The last thing he wanted was to let Pops down or fuck up what had been entrusted to him.

  Always act on knowledge and certainty. Emotion is a bitch’s game. That sage advice alone reminded him that he needed to make sure he was carefully calculating each move.

  Reaching over and grabbing the phone he called Riz to set up a meeting. From the sound of his connec
t's voice Kiam detected that the nigga was still salty but fuck it, he had to make shit right so they could get back to business.

  After ending the conversation with Riz, Kiam went up to his bedroom and threw some clothes into an overnight bag. He went to his closet and retrieved a bag of money and hit the door.

  As he drove through the streets he hit JuJu up, letting him know he would be there shortly. Then he placed a long-overdue call to Faydrah.

  The first call went unanswered, causing Kiam mild agitation. Was she purposely ignoring him? he wondered. “Call Eyez,” he repeated to his voice command.

  This time she answered and Kiam's thuggish heart jumped like a teen hearing the sweet purr of his crush's voice for the first time.

  “Hey you,” he said, regaining his swag but uncertain of where he stood in her world now.

  “Hey you,” she returned their affectionate greeting.

  A brief silence claimed the moment but Kiam refused to acquiesce to it. What they had transcended his stubbornness.

  “How you doing baby?” he asked softly.

  “Doing what I do. You know, working and trying to keep busy. How are you?”

  “Missing my woman,” he replied honestly. With her he was never averse to putting his heart on the line.

  “I miss you too,” she admitted with reservation in her tone.

  Kiam immediately picked up on it and even though he understood what it was about, it still hurt him a little. “Where are you?” he asked.

  “I’m at Mommy's.”

  “Can I see you?”

  She didn't respond right away and that fucked with his heart too. Was it really like that? he asked himself. Nah, shorty can't just walk away.

  After a brief pause she proved him right. “You can come over to Mommy's if you want to talk,” she invited.

  “A'ight. I'm on my way.”

  Faydrah stared at the table as she turned her phone in her hands. She had not seen Kiam since she left the hospital and was trying to come to grips with the idea that she was going to leave him alone.