Durty South Grind (11 page)

As he approached the car, JJ reached his arm out and gave him a baggie of rocks. Sparkle blinked himself alert, fingering the bag of about thirty or forty, fifty slabs.
So that's what took these niggas so long. They were probably just getting ready to come back over here.

JJ smiled. “Yo, dog, I can see that you damn near out. Go ahead and hit them niggas who ready to score right now. Whatever you make we gonna take with us. Give them other fools about five minutes to score because our folk'll be calling us any minute now. And we gotta be on the sprint to hook up.”

He stuffed the package in his coat and headed back up the stairs.
JJ called out, “Man, I know that you your own man but take a good look at old lady Violet. I can see that she got eyes for you and she can cut you into a lot of good people and a lot of good thangs.”

Sparkle started scratching his eyebrow with his thumb. “Oh yeah, she got it like that, huh?”

“Mmm-hmm and it ain't too many niggas that draw her attention like you did, player. I say take advantage of it.”

“I can see it myself, dog. How old is honey, anyway?”

JJ cocked one eyebrow and thought for a few seconds. “Let me see, shit, V's got to be closing in on fifty but she don't know it. Know what I'm saying.”

Sparkle wondered if she was the same legendary Violet hired by pimps on Auburn and MLK back in the day to school their hoes on the boosting game. He hoped so because a nigga could certainly use a fly wardrobe. She was coming on to him, no doubt, and was definitely worth pulling, but it would take patience and some well-hidden anxiety.

JJ noticed him staring off into space and grabbed him by the elbow. “Yo, man, you still with me here?”

“Yeah, yeah, I heard you, dog. Don't worry, I can handle this here.”

A red sedan pulled into the parking lot. JJ looked over to Percy, saluted and drove out, followed immediately by the car.

Sparkle walked back to Dee's apartment, considering the real reason they were allowing him in their clique so easily—a situation that certainly bared scrutiny.

Violet walked down the steps with an impatient look on her face, then slowed down when she saw him. When he stepped on the curb, she said, “Honey, do you know where the apartments are?”

He took the paper out of his pocket, scanned it quickly and nodded. She was standing on the back of her legs with her hands on her hips, breasts jutting out. He couldn't help getting distracted.
My God, this old lady has got to be working with some 40 triple E's or something.

The smile on her face told him that she knew he was hooked on them, too. “Hey, player, my eyes are up here.”

He rubbed his hand over his mouth and raised his eyes. “Baby boy, I like your style, but please don't take me for one of those geeked-out bimbos.”

He began a retort but she
ssshhed
him with a finger to his lips. “We could be good for each other, player. I can see you're about turning bucks and getting high; the same with me. So play with me straight, dog, okay?”

“Okay, shawtie, I feel ya, we'll stay on the real.” She nodded. “I'll call you sometime tomorrow. That'll be cool?”

She looked over her shoulder when she heard the door open. Dee strode to the edge of the steps with her hands on her hips, giving them the twice over.

If Sparkle wasn't so sure that the bitch was playing hard at her game, he could've sworn that he saw some signs of jealousy. It was absolutely ridiculous since he'd just met her only a couple of hours ago.

Violet read the bitch the same way and rolled her eyes at the corny display. She turned back to him. “Yeah, let's see what it be.” Without turning fully around, she smiled, this time with a glitter in her eyes. “Yo, Dee, I'll be getting with you, girl. Tell BaBa and them that we'll be at the crib if they get here before we get back, will ya?” She started up the stairs but changed her mind and headed for her ride, speaking over her shoulder, “I really don't feel like going back around those niggas in there. Could you tell my girls to come on?”

Dee lowered her head and looked under eyed at her departing back before she shouted, “Okay, girl, I'll let them know.” She wasn't about to fulfill her wishes right away though and sashayed up to Sparkle beaming. “So, my girl done lost her patience waiting on those folks, huh? Hell, she know how they be doing. It'll probably be another hour before they get over here but they coming. They always do when they've heard about a new bomb in town.”

“Yeah, home girl be out,” he said as she got in the driver's seat of a bright red Thunderbird.

Dee spun around and headed back up the steps, mumbling over her shoulder. “Well, come on back in. That ho done scraped up some hidden digits from somewhere.”

“What she got?” He wondered why she hadn't served the bitch with the stuff he'd left with her.

“She counted out about sixty bucks but you need to go on and handle her now because she's about to roll. You know how folks get when they down to their last coins and don't want to share that last hit with nobody.”

He didn't really care who she was talking about but nodded anyway and followed her.

She continued, “Oh yeah, a couple of folks called and they'll be over within the hour, so how much you holding?”

“Enough,” he stated flatly, knowing this slick bitch was figuring how much she could angle.

She squinted. “Hell, that'll do, I guess.” The telephone in the living room rang and she twisted away to go answer it. “Yeah, uh-huh, it's still here. How long you gonna be, girlfriend? Damn, you at the BP; shit, you didn't have to call if you that close. Girl, the shit is the bomb. You know it's good or I wouldn't have called you. …Uh-huh, uh-huh, well, I ain't playing none this time. Naw, I don't think so, then again you might know him; yo
ass be everywhere. Hey, fuck dat, you can do whatever with him when you get here. Come on, girl, I done told you the shit be good. Looka here, I ain't gonna argue with ya all night; you'll see when you get here. I'll unlock the door, just come on to the back. …Yeah, Violet was here. Matter of fact the bitch just left a couple of minutes ago. …Yeah, uh-huh, bye.”

A couple of minutes later the door burst open with the sound of three yakking females. Sparkle and Dee got up off the couch together and met them at the door. One pale redbone and two jet-black sweeties came fast-stepping in, waving dollars. They stopped and eyed Sparkle from head to toe. The shortest one sporting a curly top cut close around the ears, wrinkled her nose, smiled and said, “Hmm-hmm, bitch, I know what your stank ass been doing.”

Dee bobbled her head and spat, “Fuck you, ho, whatcha want?”

“Name's Missy, mister, this impolite-ass ho ain't got no manners,” she purred with ghetto swag and held out three fifty-dollar bills like she was used to slinging large sums around. He gave her three big boulders. She examined the rocks, looked him up and down and tilted her head back. She then harumphed and stepped past them toward the first bedroom.

Palebone looked over her shoulder before she stepped into the room. “Ugh, it sho smell nasty in here. Damn, slim, you must've tore that bitch's pussy up.”

Dee gritted and pulled the door shut before going into the hall bathroom.

He had served the girls a few more times by the time Dee came out looking and smelling fresh. He had already made up his mind to tap that ass as often as he could. The way she was looking now put a mortal lock on that thought.

She tiptoed to plant a kiss on his cheek. “JJ just called; said he'd
be by in a few minutes and for you to be ready to roll when he honks.”

It dawned on him that he didn't have the cell phone in his jacket pocket that JJ had given him. He looked down to see it in her hand. He started to say something when she beat him to it. “Here, you left it on the bed before you left to meet him the first time, and I put it in my pocket.”

He stared at her as she leaned back, batting her eyes. “Damn, soldier, I'm sorry.” She lowered her gaze. “It slipped my mind when those hoes wrinkled their noses at me. I'm sorry, man; forgive me, okay.” She came closer and sniffed at his chin.

He smiled.
This is a real slick bitch, for real.

“Where he at?” He spoke over the top of her head.

“He didn't say.” She breathed on his neck and arched her pelvis against him.

Before she could get back in the lust groove, he heard the horn outside. It was time to blow, so he made his play to lock her in. Folding his hand around hers, he placed six of the boulders in her mitt. “Sweetie, now these are some pretty big boulders so you can probably make five twenties or ten dimes out of each one. That leaves you a lot of room for your twenty percent come back to me. This here's six hundred worth. I'll be expecting my four-hundred-fifty bucks when we see each other again.” He reached down and cuffed her chin, raising her gaze to meet his. “I've been warned to play you real close to the chest, but my gut instincts keep telling me that we are going to go a long way together.”

“Uh, I get the same feeling about you, too.”

Damn, is that a fucking tear in her eyes? Watch yourself, player; she got plenty of game.
“That's all good, so let's see if you really want to get paid and get me my four-fifty, okay.” He could tell by the teary puzzling look that she wasn't used to people trusting her.
He figured she was either going to make him a bundle or he'd get her to put out a lot of that super pussy to make up the difference, even if she fucked up. Regardless, he'd still have a helluva spot to sit and make a killing when thangs got slow.

“Four-fifty, yeah, I can handle that.”

“I know you can, and by the way, why don't you see if you can hunt down some of that skunk weed for our next booty call.” He started to walk away but stopped when she didn't reply right away. He turned around and leaned on the doorsill, staring at her, waiting for her to say something, anything.

She put her hands on her hips and looked under eyed at him. “Yeah, I can get that.”

He smiled. “With your profit.”

She frowned but he ignored it and gave her the cell phone number split.

S
parkle scanned the parking lot. JJ was nowhere in sight. Damn, he'd heard the horn himself. Hunching his shoulders, he started across the field, thinking they'd probably be at Debra's. Halfway across he saw the headlights of the car on the other side of the apartments. By the time he hit the street, he saw Percy's lanky frame leaning against the car. JJ was waving from the other side, signaling for him to follow them as they headed to the apartment.

The after-effects from the coke had him feeling jittery and looking up and down the street, thinking he was being stalked. He imagined shadowy figures moving in the car, but they were already heading up the stairs. He snapped his attention from the car and followed them. Damn, he was really tripping. He quickened his pace because the geeking was really starting to mess with him.

He shouted to JJ, “Yo, dog, wait up for me.” They gave him an urgent wave as they were entering the apartment.

He thought he saw somebody duck behind the corner of the building.
Shit
, he thought. He ran up the steps before they could close the door. When he stepped inside, JJ was opening the closet. He turned around and started laughing because of the bug-eyed look on Sparkle's face. “Aw, man, this nigga's geeking his ass off.”

JJ shook his head and reached down to get the shoebox off the
floor and then walked to the dining room table. Removing a digital scale, razor blades and plastic bags, he placed the items on the table. He looked up at Sparkle like he was just noticing him. “Aw, man, my bad; sorry we sped off before you could come out. Come on, Percy, whatcha standing around for, looking like you don't know what to do?”

“What's up, soldier? Sorry about the short intro earlier but as you can see, we had to catch our boy for a bigger reup,” Percy said as he put his leather cap on the table and nodded for him to join them.

“To tell you the truth, man, we was gonna come getcha after we had cut this stuff up,” JJ said, “but hell, you here now so let's get busy. You ain't finished with that, I know.”

Sparkle blinked his eyes and took a deep breath. “Man, I thought you told Dee to tell me to come on and I heard the car horn.”

JJ had started popping open the small Ziploc bags and didn't reply right away. Sparkle stood with a blank look on his face. JJ slid the bag of razors over to Percy, who had placed six bricks of coke on the table and had begun unwrapping one of them.

JJ sat back in the chair and folded his arms. “Percy and I go way back, partner. I'm sorry we didn't wait for you after we hit the horn, but we really need to get this here stuff cut up like right away.”

Sparkle nodded. “Yeah, I heard ya earlier, dude. I just ain't used to this geeking shit; know what I'm saying?”

Percy finally spoke up. “Hmmph, that shit can be a bitch, my nigga, but you'll get back on track soon enough.”

JJ said impatiently, “Yeah, uh-huh, enough of that play by play, fellows. Okay, Sparkle, here's the system, yo. Percy here hits off some fifties first and you put them on the scale. If they over point five, you trim them down to fit. And if they under, add the pieces you done already put to the side. Then you put them on this saucer here; feel me?” They nodded as one and got busy.

They had cut up one of the bricks when JJ suddenly stood up and went to the back. Moments later he was tiptoeing back, so Debra must have still been asleep. Otherwise she would've been out there cussing up a storm; especially if she knew JJ was sneaking around playing with coke with the kids in the house.

JJ spoke up to match his thoughts. “Yo, man, we got to keep it down in here. It sho won't do no good for Debra or the kids to wake up right now; know what I'm saying?”