Coldhearted & Crazy (10 page)

It was about 1:45 in the afternoon when Kenya pulled up in the club parking lot. Heads Up had a lot of cars in the valet area, so she had to pull around to the side door. She called inside and had one of the guys on security have the door open. Kenya had more than $25,000 in her bag and didn't want to risk any fuckups by thirsty fools looking for a quick come up. She'd heard stories from old family friends about her parents slipping up that one time resulting in them getting murdered. Kenya, true to the streets, always tried to be on top of her hustle, no matter what it was.

“Hey, Young Foy! What's good?”

“Nothing, Tastey, just playing this work thing for a minute. You know how it is. A nigga still trying to get his music thang together and off the ground.”

Young Foy let Tastey in the side entrance and personally walked her up to Zack's closed office door. On the way up the stairs, he mentioned to her that her ex-boyfriend Ty had been repeatedly calling up to the club asking for her.

“Man, fuck his ass. He ain't talking about shit I wanna hear! Last time he was up in here trying to front on a bitch, he got his shit split to the white meat!” Tastey was shaking her head from side to side, in true ghetto fashion, as she talked that talk.

“Yeah, I feel you, ma. Ain't no problem. I was just putting you up on it.” Young Foy really liked Tastey, but he knew the upkeep on a female like her would hurt his pockets something serious. He knew a nigga on a budget couldn't keep a steady bitch, especially a bad bitch like Tastey. Young Foy left her to handle her business and made his way back on post.

“Hey, Old Skool. Hey, Zack.” Tastey strolled in the office smiling and in good spirits as always.

“Hey, girl, we missed you around here.” Old Skool ran across the room, hugging her tightly as if someone died.

Zack was both happy and sad. He knew if Tastey didn't go for this last big run, he'd be fucked in the game. Praying for the best, he smiled, hugging Tastey also.

Having had enough of the emotional couple, she placed her bag up on the table, opening it up. Old Skool went to lock the office door so they wouldn't be interrupted doing the count.

Tastey was beaming with pride. “It's all there. I didn't even take my cut out yet. I just counted it to make sure those niggas in Columbus ain't try no short change stuff!”

“I know you on top of it, baby girl. That's why I love your ass so much.” Zack was happy to have that money in his hands. He knew that every trip was like a roll of the dice when it came to transporting, especially across state lines. Automatically, he slid Tastey three grand. Add that to the $850 she made dancing at the strip club she made the drop off at, and she had close to four grand. That was a hellava good night's work.

Tastey gathered her pay and was about to make tracks, when Zack stopped her. “Hold tight. I needed to discuss a proposition with you. I know it'll be worth your while.”

“Well damn, let me take a seat. I've been driving all morning and still haven't eaten.” Tastey, overly cautious, had to make sure to drive the speed limit and watch out for the state boys.

“Let me get you something from the kitchen. Sit your ass down and chill. You know I got you, baby.” Old Skool listened to Tastey's order and took it down to the kitchen. It would give Zack time to hopefully work his game.

“Look, I'm gonna give it to you straight, like I always do. That trip you just came back from will more than likely be the last road trip I need you to make for me.”

Tastey was tired as hell, but that statement from Zack woke her all the way up. “Dang gee, dude, why you saying that?”

“Girl, you've been on the highway making the same trips every few weeks. And I don't want them troopers to get familiar with seeing your face. I was thinking about letting the new girl, Spice, do her thang and make some extra money. She seems like good people.” Zack could see the angry look on Tastey's face. “Look, sweetheart, I ain't trying to stop your flow. I'm only trying to look out.”

“Yeah, I know, but I need to stack a little bit more loot.” Tastey knew that the house that she and London jointly owned would hopefully be sold soon. When that happened, she wanted to have enough money to buy herself a little crib out in the suburbs, maybe even out of Michigan. To accomplish that, Kenya needed all the cash she could make, legal or illegal.

“I do have something else popping. It's kinda different from the driving thing.”

Tastey was all in and Zack could tell. “Tell me what it is and what exactly I have to do.”

“Well, first of all, are you scared to fly?” He leaned back in his chair, folding his arms.

“Naw, my people used to take me on trips when I was younger.” Zack knew that she was talking about her uncle, his boy Stone. He got a chill when he even though about his name. “I ain't scared at all!” she blurted out like a G.

Zack explained to her that his buddy Deacon and his boy Storm had opened up a new strip club down in Texas named Alley Cats and he was trying to get a few girls from Detroit to bring some flavor to his place. Zack also went on to tell her that Deacon and Storm needed some product to move, so that they could finance some major remodeling they wanted to do.

“All you have to do is fly out there once, maybe twice, and it's a wrap. I'll pay you $5,500 for each trip.”

“Damn, how much shit is it? I mean how much do I collect from Deacon, Storm, or whoever?” Tastey was all for it, but she had to see exactly how the program itself was supposed to play out.

Old Skool came back with her food and they all chopped it up, devising a solid game plan for Tastey. After talking and eating, Tastey headed home to take a long hot bath and think. She also was going to call her twin to check in on her. For some reason, the girls seemed to always miss the other's calls. London was submerged deep in her new life and Kenya wasn't hating. She was truly happy for her.

 

 

“Hey, Fatima. How you doing, girl?” Kenya was over all that silliness of being jealous of her sister's friendship with her roommate.

Fatima was also happy to hear Kenya's voice. She knew that London was starting to get worried about her twin because the two hadn't spoken in over a week, which seemed abnormal even in Fatima's eyes.

“Hey, Kenya, girl, we've been wondering where you been hiding out at. Let me run and get your sister. She's at the end of the hall, passing out some fliers for the upcoming meeting. You ought to come up and see your sister throwing down on her speeches. A lot of important people are going to be there. She's gonna blaze the stage, for real!”

“I ain't know ol' girl was getting at they heads like that. You make her sound like a li'l London X.”

Both Fatima and Kenya giggled as Fatima waved down the hall to her roommate, holding the phone up. “She's on her way now. You grew up with the chic, you know she gotta get her last words in.” Kenya was in total agreement with Fatima.

“Hello, this is Miss Roberts.”

“Oh, damn. I ain't know we was all formal. Excuse the fuck outta me!” Kenya, teasing, was sounding uppity, snapping her fingers.

“Oh my God! Fatima didn't tell me it was you. She just handed me the phone, started smiling, and left out. Where in the hell have you been?”

“I've been around, here and there, Ohio, Chi-town, and a few days in upstate New York.” Kenya was trying to play that shit off, but in reality, she thought she was Big Willie, low-key.

“I thought you fell your behind off the face of the earth. Don't you ever check your messages?” London wasn't going to let her twin sister get away with avoiding her calls without an explanation.

Kenya went into detail about Ty's visit up to her job and all the times that he called her house and the club. “Sis, I don't even listen to them crybaby messages he be leaving. I just push delete and keep on stepping. That crazy fool even left a letter on my car. I tore that shit up and threw it in the street, fuck even reading his bullshit. That nigga been a liar since conception!”

“Dang, what did you do to him? He seems like a stalker. You need to press charges against him or something.” London was concerned for her sister's safety first and foremost.

“Yeah, you right, but forget his trick-ass. He got dealt with proper. Anyway, I heard you up there doing the damn thang.” Kenya was hyping her sister up.

“Yeah, I guess you could say I'm doing a li'l somethin'-somethin' as you say!”

Kenya was glad to know that all was well with London and she was doing big things. “So, I heard you got a big rally next weekend?”

London sighed. “Hey, why don't you come up and spend the whole weekend with me? I miss you.”

“I wish I could, London, but I'm going to be in Texas and I don't know exactly when I might be back.” Kenya hated disappointing her twin but business came first.

London was understanding of the situation, telling Kenya to do what made her happy. However, she had no idea that her sister was being a drug mule for the man their uncle considered partially to blame for their parents' untimely death. Kenya was part of the system that London was trying so hard to endlessly fight. London hated drugs and everything and everybody affiliated with them. Drugs made her and her sister orphans as far as she was concerned, and this was the outlook that she kept in the back of her mind whenever she made a speech.

“Well, London, I'm about to go to bed. I'm so tired that I'm about to fall asleep on this phone.”

London hated to let her sister go, but was happy just to hear from her. “Hey, before you go, have you heard from Uncle lately?”

Kenya was apprehensive about talking about their uncle. Ever since she saw that picture of him in Zack's office, she had been avoiding his collect calls. Between him and Ty, she got used to turning the ringer off and pushing ignore. “He tried to call a few times, but I wasn't home. But if he calls you, tell him I still love him.”

“Okay, then. I love you, Kenya.”

Kenya lay back and smiled. “
Say U Promise
!”