DEADLY DECISIONS III: The End (12 page)

Poo Baby sat speechless and shocked while Niya continued to update her. After collecting herself, Niya blew her nose
. “And on top of that, Li’l Boo and Cameron are beefing again. It’s all over the streets that Li’l Boo fucked Cameron’s wife. Hood rat Cherry found Monique naked in Li’l Boo’s closet, recording him and Cherry having sex.”

Shocked, Poo Baby wasn’t able to utter a word or close her mouth.
That’s why Cameron hasn’t called back and why Li’l Boo has been blowing Keisha’s phone up
. The information began to set in Poo Baby’s mind. She nodded her head, knowing that the news would practically kill Keisha.
Her son has been shot, and her baby fathers are at war, fuck!
Poo Baby’s eyes watered up. “Damn,” Poo Baby sighed.

An
awkward silence filled the line before Niya spoke again. “I don’t know how much longer I can stay in this city. I love you guys to death, but this shit just isn’t my life anymore. It’s not safe in Compton -”

“Niya, please, we need you to keep us updated,” Poo Baby pleaded.

Niya was terribly shaken and it could be heard though her voice. “I’m afraid for my life here, Poo. What if Carter’s people come for me next? I can’t, Poo Baby. I can’t live my life or risk my future dodging Keisha’s past,” Niya said fearfully. “Keisha chose her lifestyle and I chose mine. I’m not trying to end up like Yonna.” The hairs on her arms stood up. “Tell Kesh I love her, Poo, but after I go to the hospital to check on my godson, I’m getting the hell out of Compton. B-Low has Big Pope Dog’s number. He told me that he’ll keep him posted,” Niya continued. “Get back to your life, Poo. You worked hard to become a teacher -”

“Yeah, alright, bye, Niya,” Poo Baby cut Niya off, removing the phone from her ear as she disconnected the call.
Bitch never think about nobody but herself
! Poo Baby wasn’t trying to hear
Niya’s constant lecture about involving herself in Keisha’s dangerous lifestyle, especially at a time like this and with everything that K
eisha was going through and about to be faced with. Poo Baby felt obligated to be there for her friend, now more than ever, and Poo Baby was going to be there for her no matter what. No one understood Keisha the way she did.
How the fuck am I supposed to break this news to Keisha?
Poo Baby
sat up in her seat and looked at Keisha.

From the passenger seat, Gutty looked back at Poo Baby, shining the light from his cell phone on her. Once he got her attention, he put his finger to his lips, signaling for Poo Baby not to say a word. They had already been informed on everyt
hing that had occurred in the city related to Keisha and decided to keep it from her for a few more days unti
l they dealt with Carter.

Poo Baby nodded her head.
So these niggas knew and didn’t tell me anything? Oh no! I’ma have to holla at they asses! Mafioso or not, I need to be up on the business!
Poo Baby lay back in her seat, fighting the pain that she was feeling inside with a pray
er.
Lord, please let Keisha’s son survive. She has been through so much and I’m afraid that if she loses him, it may officially take her completely over the edge that she’s barely been standing on now, father God. In Jesus Christ’s name I pray, Amen.

_______

Keisha woke up in bed, refreshed and confused. Stretching, she sat up in bed, thinking,
Damn I don’t remember getting in bed, let alone out the truck! What time is it?
She looked for her phone and was unable to find it. She was thinking of the well-being of her children, particularly her son since she hadn’t heard word back from Cameron regarding him.
Where the fuck my shit at?
Keisha climbed out of the bed and began searching for it, and then checked the pocket of her hoodie, which was on top of the dresser.
Damn, how the fuck I get out my clothes?
Keisha stood in her panties and bra
. That nigga Gutty better not have been fucking around with me in my sleep, on Piru,
Keisha thought as she quickly clothed herself in a robe to go search for her phone in the truck. She needed to find out what was going on.

As Keisha approached the living room, she heard chatty whispering among her friends and stopped mid-step. She had a feeling that she was the topic of the conversation.
What they up to?

“Look, power it off, hold on to it, and act like it’s lost, and then after we handle this shit with Carter, you can act like you found Keys’s phone and then give it back to her,” Gutty could be heard whispering.

“I agree, Gutty. We can’t keep the shit from her forever, but just for right now,” Poo Baby chimed in.

The fuck they hiding from me?
Keisha stepped into plain view, mean-mugging her friends. “Or you can give me my shit right now and let me know what the fuck is going on, because Keisha don’t need a muthafucka keeping shit from her! I ain’t paying niggas to keep secrets from me, and Poo Baby, how dare you!” Keisha looked at Poo Baby heatedly.

The room fell silent. Irritated, Big Pope Dog slapped himself upside the head. He wasn’t in the mood for another one of Keisha belligerent episodes.
I told them they were talking too much and to just get rid of the phone!
Big Pope Dog sighed. “Fuck it, just let her know.” He reached for the bottle of aspirin that was resting on the table. Dealing with Keisha had caused him plenty of headaches and he felt another one coming on.

“Talk!” Keisha started across the hardwood floors with her hand out for her phone.

Big Pope Dog tossed Keisha her phone and then headed back to his sleeping quarters. “This one’s on y’all.” He looked at Gutty and Poo Baby before exiting the room.

Keisha scrolled through the phone to check her missed calls. She had numerous calls from Li’l Boo, a couple from her mother, and not one from Niya. “Did Niya call you or leave you Cameron’s number? She never gave it to me, and I need to check on my son,” Keisha announced, curious as to what her friends were keeping from her.

Neither Poo Baby nor Gutty said a word, both not knowing how to break the news to her.

“Poo Baby, Gutty, Piru, tell me something before I get on this phone. I can handle it,” she demanded.

Being Keisha’s closest friend, Poo Baby felt obligated to break the news to her friend. “Let’s sit down and talk, Kesh.”

Poo Baby’s tone and Keisha’s gut told her that something terribly had happened to her son, and although she hoped that her gut feeling was wrong, Keisha sat across from Poo Baby preparing for the worst. In her world, good news was slim to none. “What’s up?”

Poo Baby cleared her throat and began to speak, uncertain how to break the news to Keisha about her son. Poo Baby started with the intruders that had shot Cameron’s house up looking for him, to Monique being found in Li’l Boo’s closet in her underwear, and then she paused.
How the fuck do I tell my girl that her son is in the hospital fighting for his life after taking a bullet in the head?
It was the hardest thing that Poo Baby had ever had to tell a person.

“Wow,” were the words that fell from Keisha’s mouth. The news was bad, but not as bad as Keisha thought. She sighed.
My baby is alright
. “So Li’l Boo fucked Cameron’s wife? He screaming us, but he in the Hub dicking Cameron’s wife down?” she spat disappointedly, thinking,
So this bitch Monique turned out to be a ratchet in disguise! Ol’ bitch! But fuck, poor Cam! Piru, he’s a good man and don’t deserve this type of shit in his life.
“But both Li’l Boo and Cameron are alright though, right?” Keisha asked Poo Baby. The last thing Keisha needed in her life were her children’s fathers going to war, possibly resulting in both or one of her kids being short a father. Her life was already on the front line.

Poo Baby told Keisha that they were good.

“Good,” Keisha reached for her phone to go back to the room to call Li’l Boo, hoping to resolve the matter. “Poo Baby, call Niya and get Cameron’s number for me. I’m going to call him after I speak to Li’l Boo. I’ll straighten this shit out -”

“Kesh, hold on, wait…that isn’t the worst of it!” Poo Baby blurted out.

The urgency in Poo Baby’s voice caused Keisha to cease all movements, including her thoughts. She turned to her friend. “Who got hurt or killed?”

“Your son is in the hospital, Kesh. Monique was riding with both of the boys in the truck when some niggas shot the Escalade up, and…” Poo Baby paused. “A bullet hit Cameron Jr in the head. He’s alive, but he’s in critical condition -”

“HOLD THE FUCK UP! Piru, my son is in the hospital fighting to survive right now and you muthafuckas was going to keep that shit from me?” Keisha’s heart had broken into a million pieces. “My son, you guys, for real? I should have been informed about this the second you guys heard about it. I’m his mother; I have that right!”

Poo Baby tried to explain. “Kesh, we were hoping and praying for the best, and didn’t want to bring it to you unless - ”

“Unless what?” Keisha cut Poo Bear off, mean-mugging her. “Unless my son died? Instead of bringing it to me so that I could be there with him?” She stared her friend deep in the eyes. “I’m going back to Cali to be with my son. Gutty, I need the next private jet up outta here -”

“It’s still a commercial flight, Lady G, you can be tracked.” Gutty immediately objected to Keisha’s decision, concerned about her safety.

“I ain’t driving back to Cali, I’m flying, Gutty, and I don’t give a fuck if Carter or anybody else knows where the fuck I am at this point. Matter of fact, Carter better be worried about me knowing where the fuck he at now, Piru!” Keisha aggressively punched her fist in the palm of her hand to release the pain and frustration she was feeling inside. “MY son, my BABY!” she stomped her foot. “So unless a muthafucka put a hole in me, won’t NOTHING or NOBODY be stopping me from getting to my son. When you’re a mother, you’ll go through hell and hot water for yours and I’m no different,” Keisha stressed, and then she exited the room to prepare for her departure.

Poo Baby rose to her feet. “I’m rolling too. I’m not letting my homegirl go back to Cali alone, so if they want her, they gon’ have to get me too,” she stated seriously. She started towards the bedroom to gather her belongings.

Gutty went inside the room to run everything down to Big Pope Dog and told him that he was going to go back with Keisha.

Big Pope Dog objected. “We have business to take care of this way. I’ma get a team together to look out when she touches down in the city.” Big Pope Dog went for his phone, nodding,
Shit is about to get all fucked up…I just know it.

Li’l Boo received a call, and hoping it was Keisha, he excused himself from the therapy session that was taking place in his living room. Li’l Boo walked to the kitchen to take the call.

“West,” he answered because he was a Westside gangsta. It was Keisha.

“I’m happy you decided to call a nigga back. If it wasn’t for Big Pope Dog taking my calls, I would have thought you was dead or something. You a’ight, baby mama?”

Keisha sighed in frustration. “Shit is fucked up. You think I can stay at the shooting range when I touch down?” Keisha asked. Li’l Boo had a bedroom set up inside his shooting range and Keisha knew it was big enough and a safe enough location for her and Poo Baby to lay low at while in the city.

“The shooting range?” Li’l Boo repeated. “You don’t have to stay at the range, Kesh, you’re welcome to stay here at my house. I’ll take care of you,” Li’l Boo said seriously.

“I know, Li’l Boo, I just don’t want to bring any more trouble to my loved ones, and that shit seems to follow me everywhere I go.” She paused, unable to get her mind off of her son. “I appreciate it, on everything, but the range is straight,” Keisha insisted.

Li’l Boo wasn’t having it. “There ain’t no way my bitch gon’ be sleeping in my shooting range when she has a home right here with her man,” he said passionately. “My place is the safest place in the city for you to be,” he tried to convince Keisha. After getting word that Carter was making noise in the city and that Cameron had called a beef with him for supposedly screwing his wife, Li’l Boo took the initiative to put his hood on watch. Since his legs still weren’t strong enough for him to move around the way that he needed to, he had armed gangstas from his neighborhood securing his home, he had loaded guns in every location of his home within an accessible reach, and he had both a home and security and surveillance system installed. “Now what time am I sending a ride to pick you up?”

Keisha replied, “Big Pope Dog has already set up arrangements to have me picked up, but I don’t think it will be a good idea, Li’l Boo-”

“It’s the best idea, baby mama. I told you, we’re in this thing together,” Li’l Boo stated firmly. “Call me when you’re on your way, alright?”

Keisha didn’t have the energy to go back and forth with Li’l Boo, so she gave in. “I’ma be there after I leave the hospital so that you open the garage.” She felt herself getting ready to cry again and began to wrap the conversation up. “I don’t want anybody to know I’m in the city.”

“I got you, baby mama. But what’s going on at the hospital? I’m looking forward to seeing you, and ah, your son is going to pull through this. His mama is a fighter and I’m sure he is too,” Li’l Boo said comfortingly. He had heard that Cameron’s son had become a victim to gunplay, and after learning from Monique that Keisha had a son with Cameron and receiving a call from Big Pope Dog letting him know that Keisha was on her way back to Cali, Li’l Boo assumed that the injured baby was hers.

Keisha wondered how Li’l Boo knew about her son, but didn’t bother to ask how he found out because it didn’t matter to her if he knew. It was other people that she didn’t want getting ahold of that information. “Thank you, Li’l Boo.” Words couldn’t express how much Keisha needed to hear those very words and just how much she appreciated him. “No one knows about my son. It’s for his own safety.” Keisha forced back her tears.