Forever a Hustler's Wife (23 page)

“She was talking about how she wanted him home, how life ain’t fair, and how she been talking to Columbo.”

“What?” Yarni asked, rushing back up to her office so she could hear Samuel over the noise. She collapsed in her office chair and placed her hand on her forehead, longing for a pill. She took a deep breath and tried to focus on what Samuel was saying. She looked irritated when someone knocked on the door and entered without waiting for her to respond. She waved them away but they wouldn’t leave.

Unique walked in with a cup of coffee and held it out to Yarni. She rolled her eyes and reached for the cup, just to get rid of Unique, but as she went to grasp it, it slipped out of her hands, landing on her desk and soaking the pictures she had been pouring over from the description that Malinda Briggs had given.

Unique grabbed the pictures, trying to keep them from being ruined. As she pulled them apart to prevent their sticking together, her eyes widened when they landed on a picture of a tattoo. She motioned to get Yarni’s attention, but Yarni ignored her and focused on Samuel. Finally Unique got on her cell phone and left the room.

“She said that she can’t get information on Des to feed to the cops like she needs and that she needs Ahmeen to help her.” Samuel’s voice raised with compassion. “Word is Ahmeen ain’t want no parts of the shit. He told that bitch that he would rather do ten life sentences in solitary than cross Des and that she ain’t the chick he married and that he needed a motherfucking divorce.

“Ahmeen said that he was trying to reach you to warn you but couldn’t reach Des, and Khadijah just put a block on the phone so he couldn’t call. He said he didn’t know who she was and what she was capable of at this point.”

“This shit is crazy. I gotta go,” Yarni said, her mind racing.

Just then Unique walked back in the room and wrote on a piece of paper. She held up a note in one hand that read
THAT’S KHADIJAH’S TATTOO,
and held the picture of the tattoo in the other.

Yarni hung up, looking at Unique in astonishment. Her gut had told her that somehow Des’s case and Desi’s kidnapping were related. After processing what Samuel and Unique had told her and recalling how the woman in the surveillance video looked familiar, she said, “Unique, that crazy bitch got my baby. Do you know if she’s at home?”

“I just called her—that’s why I left the room. She told me that the exterminator was there and not to come there tonight. I believe she probably got the baby there.”

“Is this the picture of the white man she’s been seeing?” Yarni searched through a file and found a picture of Columbo. Unique looked at it and nodded.

Yarni grabbed her gun and put it in her bag; Bambi, Lava, and Unique followed close behind as she headed to her car, ignoring the questions the others gathered at the house were asking. They were rolling four deep to pay Sister Khadijah a visit.

CHAPTER 31

A Treacherous Bitch

Y
arni arrived at Khadijah’s house and motioned for Unique to use her key to open the door. Unique put her key in the lock and turned it, but it didn’t budge.

“Oh no that bitch didn’t,” Unique said. “She had the nerve to tell me the place has been sprayed, then she changed the locks. I can’t believe this shit.” She knocked on the door then pulled out her phone and called Khadijah. “Hey, open up. I need to come in and get me some clothes right quick.”

Unique motioned to the girls to move back so Khadijah couldn’t see them if she looked out the window. Khadijah opened the door a few minutes later, then she walked to the back of the house wearing a micro-mini flowery spandex skirt and a black tank top that displayed her tattoo. Her hair was in a ponytail, swinging from side to side as though it was glad not to be wrapped up. Khadijah had transformed from a holy woman to a hoochie momma.

“Oh, sorry about the locks,” Khadijah apologized flatly. “I forgot to tell you I changed them, when I talked to you earlier.”

“It’s okay,” Unique said, looking around for anything suspicious. When they heard a cry from the back of the house, Khadijah turned to her. “Oh, I’m babysitting little Desi for Des,” she said casually before she started to walk out of the room.

“Bitch, you’re telling a motherfucking lie!” Yarni screamed. “Lava, go get my baby while I take care of this bitch.”

Lava ran to the back of the house and grabbed Little Desi and took her outside, where Joyce, who had followed them, was waiting in her car.

A shocked Khadijah looked like she could have been bought for a penny, but she didn’t seem to be intimidated at all with Yarni up in her face.

“Who the fuck told you to fuck with my daughter?” Yarni yelled.

“Please,” Khadijah said, sucking her teeth. “You ain’t thinking about that baby fo’ real. You only had her so you could trap Des.”

“Is that right?” Yarni couldn’t believe what this stupid bitch was standing in her face saying.

“You don’t have time for her. Plus, you don’t deserve that baby no way. While your man is being greedy getting money from every avenue, my man is sitting in prison rotting to death.”

“I didn’t make the rules to the game,” Yarni told her.

“Fuck the game. The game is dead.”

“Bitch, and so are you.” Yarni spit on Khadijah right before drawing back and hitting her with the hardest backhand smack ever to be delivered. Khadijah almost lost her balance, but she stood there defiantly as if to ask, ‘Is that all you got?’ She wasn’t prepared when Yarni countered with a right hook.

After Khadijah fell to the ground, Bambi kicked her in her face. Yarni moved Bambi out the way and commenced to fuck Khadijah up, sending blows to her head one after another. Khadijah was yelling and screaming, trying to fight back with all her might, but it was damn near impossible. Bambi held Khadijah down while Yarni beat her to a pulp. Before long, Lava tapped Bambi on her shoulder. “Let’s get out of here. I have a feeling the neighbors may have called the police with this bitch doing all that screaming.”

Bambi pulled Yarni off of Khadijah. “Come on.”

Yarni stopped hitting her once she saw the blood and allowed her sister to lead her to the front door, but when she thought about Khadijah fucking with her husband and child, she swung around. “Fuck that. Get that bitch up and sit her in the chair.”

Bambi and Lava got Khadijah up. Unique tied her to the chair, and Yarni got a good look at the tattoo. “Oh you’s a treacherous bitch, huh?”

Khadijah could barely open her eyes. She sat up as straight as she could. “That’s right,” she uttered, with blood seeping down her face.

“Well, it takes one to know one.” Yarni hit Khadijah so hard that Khadijah pissed on herself.

“Why would you do some shit like this? My sister and her husband embraced you while Ahmeen was locked up, gave you a good job, a nice place, and a car. Why would you want to do some fucked-up shit like this?” Bambi asked, spitting on her, too.

“Because she’s a fucked-up bitch,” Unique said. “That’s what fucked-up bitches do. I should know. I’ve been one for most of my life.”

Khadijah rolled her half-open eye at Unique.

“I asked you a motherfucking question, bitch. Now answer,” Yarni demanded, punching Khadijah again.

“Y’all were so dumb and stupid, you didn’t even get it,” Khadijah said, disgust dripping from her voice. “Y’all so happy-go-lucky, running around spending money while y’all so crazy in love. The people offered me a shot to get my man out. I took the deal, but Des wouldn’t let me get into his business; he had me doing only the peon shit. Finding you tickets to the old-school show and shit like that.”

“So I called as his secretary and set up the appointment with his former lawyer, and made it his last appointment for the night. I showed up instead to make sure that Des’s ass would get life. I had it all figured out,” she said, as if proud of her little plan.

Yarni struck her again and took a deep breath and tried to get herself together.

“Look, this is how it’s gonna go down.” Yarni kneeled in front of Khadijah. “Make no mistake about it. I will kill yo’ ass if I have to, and nobody would give a fuck. Your husband don’t give a fuck; neither does Columbo. You’re a pawn for him. You, my darling…you are basically on your own.”

Khadijah stared defiantly at Yarni, who didn’t break eye contact. Khadijah dropped her head as tears formed in her eyes. She looked to Unique for help.

“Game over, bitch. I can’t help your ass. You should have thought about that when you made a big deal about me using one of your tampons. I told you, you may need me one day. Remember when you said you wasn’t gon’ need a ho for shit?”

“You can die right here, right now,” Yarni said, pulling her gun out, putting it to Khadijah’s head, and cocking it, “or take door number two. If you value your life, or what life you have left, you’ll sign a deposition saying that you set my husband up. Prison may be the safest place for you, off these streets. If you ever cross me, prison won’t be able to protect you from me. You gon’ wish you were in hell with gasoline drawers on. So, it’s up to you to decide your destiny. Lose your life right now, or spend your life in the penitentiary. Make the decision now: Breathe or die, bitch.”

Khadijah’s cockiness quickly fled, only to be replaced by defeat as reality stepped in. She knew that she was doomed and was going to be in prison washing the underwear of some big broad named Bertha. She agreed to take door number two. Yarni called an attorney friend of hers to take Khadijah’s statement.

As they waited for the attorney to come, Unique pulled Bambi aside. “Can I talk to you on some real sincere shit?”

“I guess,” Bambi said, although she could never trust Unique the way Yarni did. She remembered Unique from back in the day, before she was left in South America. She knew her freak skills were legendary and that she’d always had a thing for Lynx. Bambi nipped it in the bud a long time ago and made sure that Unique would never sink her claws in her man. Yarni shared Unique’s sob story with her and Bambi wanted to feel compassion, but there was something about her. She wondered what in the world Unique could possibly have to discuss with her.

“Look, as I mentioned to your sister, I never really belonged to anything or anybody, not even my momma. Nobody ever loved me. Niggas loved me because I was cute and had a mean head game and could hook a steak up. Bitches fucked with me because I got money and attracted the niggas with it.”

“I’m hearing you.” Bambi looked as if she was about to say something smart, but Unique saw it coming.

“Listen and just hear me out. I promise I’m going to make my point.”

“A’ight,” Bambi said. “Go ahead.”

“Those things I did, chasing money ain’t never do nothing but get me a wet pussy, shot at, prison time, and left in a whorehouse in South America with no passport,” Unique admitted.

“Damn,” Bambi said, not really giving a fuck. But she decided she’d listen. Unique did have a powerful testimony.

“In between customers, I wondered why this was happening to me—what was the reason? I knew somewhere there had to be one. I feel like everything happens for a reason—there are no chance encounters. Do you believe that, Bambi—that nothing happens by chance?”

“Yeah, I guess so.” Bambi wondered where this conversation was headed.

“Well, I know this might sound crazy, but today I figured the shit out.”

“Why you were left there?”

Unique took a deep breath. “So that I could save a soul because I had lost mine. It was God’s test.”

“How so?”

“I’ve done enough harm in my day to enough people, and for the first time in my life, I’m going to do what’s right, and that’s save you.”

“Save me? Save me from what?”

“Lootchee.”

Chills went up Bambi’s spine, and fear settled in her heart.

CHAPTER 32

Something’s Gotta Give

Y
arni lay with her daughter, planting kisses all over her tiny face. It had been the best day and worst day of her life. She didn’t know what she would have done if something had happened to her baby. Little Desi didn’t seem to have a care in the world as she slept contentedly in her mother’s arms. When the phone rang, Yarni thought about not answering it, but she realized she still hadn’t heard from Des. Not bothering to check the caller ID, she picked it up. “Hello,” she said.

“Hey, baby.”

“Where have you been?” she asked angrily.

“I told you I had to take care of that stuff today,” Des said. “Is everything okay?”

“Well, your daughter was kidnapped by your personal assistant, who has been trying to set you up with Columbo.” Yarni did not waste any time getting to the point.

“What? What the fuck you mean?” Des asked after a moment of silence.

Yarni ignored him, finally able to vent all her frustrations. “Yes, I spent my day on pins and needles, not knowing if our child was dead or alive. Once again, you weren’t here for me. I swear, I’m tired of this shit, Des.” She tried not to scream and wake Desi.

“Look, baby, I love you. We’re going to talk about this when I get home,” Des said before hanging up the phone.

Des sat in his car. Yarni was right. He hadn’t been there for her—or for their baby. He had left soon after Desi was born, and during her short life, things had always been about him, with no real concern for his wife or his daughter. Yarni had never complained—in fact, she had always loved and supported him unconditionally—and he could tell by her tone that she
was
tired of his shit.

In all honesty, he was tired of it, too. Too much had happened—he’d lost Nasir—and if he didn’t change his ways, he knew he would lose his wife and his daughter as well. He couldn’t let that happen.

He started his car and drove around for a few minutes before pulling over. He bowed his head and let the tears fall, trying to cleanse the game out of his system. It was time to let it go. He had to step up and be the man his wife and daughter needed. He was pretending to be a man of God, but Yarni was right. It was time he started practicing what he preached. The game wasn’t the same, the players had changed, and he was slipping. While he was out murdering Felix, his own baby’s life had been in jeopardy. Ripping, running, and playing in the streets was about to come to an end for him.

He wiped his eyes, took a deep breath and began to speak to God.

If there really is a God and you’re as wise as e’rybody say you are, then you already know how I get down for mine! So I’m not going to try to front on you. I got a few more…well, let’s just say un-Christian-like things to take care of, and after that, I’m goin’ to clean my shit up. Excuse my language; old habits are hard to break. Anyway, if you’re not too busy, I may need a lil’ help. Not with the dirty stuff, I can fin for myself when it comes to that. I just don’t want to lose my wife and daughter in the process. Oh, and about that thing I’ve been doing with the church in your name—I’ma flip it; I’m going to hustle for you like I hustle for myself. Thanks, Big G.

After Des was done, he felt as though a heavy burden had been lifted.

When he arrived home, Yarni was waiting in her office for him.

“Baby, I am so sorry,” he said, reaching out to her. She moved out of his grasp and stood with her back to him.

“You’re right, you are sorry.” She turned to him but couldn’t meet his eyes.

“This is the bottom line: Things have got to change between us,” Yarni said. “I can’t live like this anymore.”

“Baby, I’m about to be done with the streets, but I can never be done with the lifestyle.”

“What? So you’re going to continue to chase the streets?” she asked in amazement. “You’re telling me the streets mean more to you than me and your daughter?”

Des shook his head. “Of course not. I’m just about done with the streets, but look at how we live.” He waved his head to encompass the house.

“I don’t care about this. We’ve made enough dirty money. We’re both intelligent people, let’s focus on the legit money.”

“I know, but I’ll always be a hustler—not drugs,” he said quickly, when she looked at him like he was crazy, “but hustling to make sure we a’ight.” His eyes met hers. “Legally. I promise I’m going to make some changes, but you’re forever going to be a hustler’s wife. You ain’t leaving me.”

She sighed. “No,” she said, and Des released the breath he hadn’t realized he was holding. “I feel God has spared you too many times, and right about now you’re trying your luck with him.”

“I know.”

Yarni hugged him as if she didn’t want to let go. She didn’t want to, but she knew she had to handle her last bit of business for the day concerning Des. She let him go and took a deep breath. “I have something to show you.”

She closed her eyes and inhaled more air. She knew that what she had to tell him was going to break his heart, and it was one of the hardest things she ever had to do.

“Remember when I told you I had to get someone to get the files out of Sledge’s office for the Samuel Johnson case? They didn’t have a bunch of time, so they just took everything he was working on for the past six months. I found out that the guy you told me about, Jarbo, was one of his clients. I also found this.” She handed some papers to Des.

“I’m going to give you some privacy and time to digest this,” Yarni said before kissing him and leaving the room.

Des was confused but looked at the papers. He read them over several times to make sure he was seeing what he thought he was. Apparently Rico and Jarbo, the man Rico had asked him to kill, were going to turn state’s evidence on someone close to them both, and Jarbo had changed his mind at the last minute. Rico felt that maybe Jarbo would go to the person to let him know, so Rico got Jarbo before Jarbo could cause any problems. While Des wasn’t named explicitly as the target in the papers, there were enough details that pointed to him as the person Rico was going to rat on.

Des took the papers and sat down on the leather sofa in Yarni’s study. He was dumbfounded that his boy was about to give him up after all he had done for him. “I just need some time alone to figure out my next move,” he said quietly as he crushed the papers, forgetting the vow he had just made to God and his wife.

Before Des could fully absorb that Rico was about to turn him in to the Feds, Lynx called.

“Hey, man, we need to talk,” Lynx said.

“Now’s not a good time,” Des said, getting ready to hang up.

“You need to make it a good time,” Lynx said. “I found out who beat up Yarni.”

“Who?” Des asked, sitting forward on the sofa.

“That asshole Marvin Sledge,” Lynx said. “Bambi told me the other night. I’ve been trying to get in touch with you.”

“Why the fuck you wait to tell me?”

“I’ve been
trying
to get at you man, but with all the shit going on, then you missing in action and the shit with Lil’ Desi, it was hard to find the right time.”

Des saw red. He balled his hands into fists and imagined how good it would feel to crush Marvin’s skull. Marvin, too, would have to pay dues. The only question was who Des should go after first: Marvin or Rico?

Des couldn’t believe Yarni had been protecting that sleazeball Marvin for all this time. There was no doubt about it, Marvin was gonna get what he had coming to him, and it wasn’t anything nice, but first he had to find out why Yarni had kept this piece of information from him.

“Yarni!” Des yelled through the house. “Yarni!”

Yarni poked her head out of the doorway of the nursery, “Ssshhh. I’m trying to put Desi to sleep.”

“My bad,” he apologized, “but I need to talk to you; it’s important.”

“Can it wait just one second? The baby’s almost asleep, then I’ll be right there.”

Des nodded his head in agreement and went into the bedroom and lit a blunt.

A few moments later Yarni walked in. “That mess stinks.” She waved her hand. “What’s so urgent that it has you screaming through the house, baby?”

Des took a pull then put the blunt out and looked at his beautiful wife standing in front of him. As far as he knew, his wife had never lied to him. “Why are you protecting him, Yarni?” he calmly asked.

“Protecting who?” she answered his question with one of her own. “What are you talking about, Des?”

“That pretty-boy lawyer from Maryland,” Des shot back, “that’s who.”

“Who told you?”

“Is that all you got to say, Who told me? It doesn’t make a difference who put me up on it; that’s not the point, I shouldna had to hear it from anyone else.” The more he thought about Yarni keeping something this huge from him, the more his blood boiled. “What else are you holding back on, Mrs. Taylor?” he asked in an accusing tone.

“Don’t go there with me…Mr. Taylor.” Yarni didn’t know what her husband was implying, but she wasn’t having it. “Did you ever stop to think that it was you I was trying to look out for?”

Des’s expression showed a touch of confusion, but he wasn’t going to let her get away quite that easily. “Explain to me how the man you are spending countless hours with…working…ended up beating the cowboy shit out of you?”

“First of all, he no longer works with me. But more important, I knew if I told you, God only knows what you would have done to him.”

“You got that part right,” Des confirmed. “But tell me why that would be a bad thing.”

Yarni looked square in the eyes of her husband, lover, baby daddy, and best friend of almost two decades. “Because I love you too much, and I didn’t want you to spend the rest of your life behind bars for some clown-ass motherfucker, that’s why.” Tears began to trickle down her face just before Des took her into his arms.

A week later, Stanka sat waiting on the hood of his 740 BMW. His mind kept retreating to days past when he used to have to take care of his favorite niece whenever she got into trouble, which seemed to be all the time. He’d known when she was born that she was going to be more than a handful. She had her mother’s good looks and her father’s hustler mentality—a gift and a curse, depending on how someone looked at it.