Girls from da Hood 11 (9 page)

“Yo, Jay, chill,” said Mike B placing his hand on Jeff's shoulder.

Against his better judgment, Jeff let up off of Gee-Live who was grateful for Mike B intervening.

Gee-Live figured that he had a better shot at saving his life by trying to clear up what he had to be a case of mistaken identity or a misunderstanding, because he was now 100 percent positive that he had done no wrong or spoke no vain to or about Jeff or Mike B.

“Mike B—Mike B, what's good? What I do?” asked Gee-Live almost in a crying manner, referring to Mike B by his street name.

Despite that, an instant smirk came across Mike B's face. If looks could kill, Gee-Live would already be dead. The murderous look in Mike B's eyes was enough to make Gee-Live second guess his decision to choose dealing with Mike B over Jeff. Whatever he was being accused of, Gee-Live knew that it was some heavy shit, judging by the facial expressions both Mike B and Jeff wore.

Mike B expected Gee-Live to play stupid, thinking that to be his best bet. It didn't matter though because today, there was nothing he could do or say to convince Mike B to change what he had already decided to be the final outcome of their encounter.

“Yo, don't insult my intelligence nigga,” Mike B advised. He erased the smirk off of his face. “You know what the fuck this is about.”

Gee-Live gave Mike B a puzzling look. Had he known why he was laying in the snow, bleeding from the back of the head, with two guns pointed in his face, and his life in jeopardy, he probably wouldn't admit what he had done, but the fact of the matter was that he really had no clue as to what the ordeal was about, not even an inclination.

“Mike B, man that's my word, I don't know what the deal is. I'd never disrespect you kid, let alone cross you,” cried out Gee-Live as sincerely as he could.

“Yes, you would, you cross-artist muthafucka!” stated Jeff with conviction. “That's why I don't fuck wit' your bitch ass now! Mike B, let me go 'head and slump this nigga, B,” Jeff suggested.

“J, calm down, baby. I got dis,” Mike B calmly said, trying to keep his friend at bay.

Jeff was making it real difficult for him.

“Yo! Fuck that! Why you keep babysitting this bitch-made nigga?It's been confirmed that he did it. Ain't nothin' else to talk about. Fuck all this rappin' shit. Body this nigga or let me do it so we can get the fuck up outta here,” spat Jeff.

“Do what? What I do?” Gee-Live asked again, hearing Jeff say that it had been confirmed.

He did it, and it's been confirmed
, played in Gee-Live's mind. Whatever “it” was he was determined to find out.

By now Mike B was beyond pissed off, both at Jeff's impatience and Gee-Live's dumb role he continued to play. He was tired of playing games with Gee-Live. His only thought and concern now was to get to the bottom of Gee-Live's actions and then make him pay for them with his life.

“Jeff, like I said, calm down, dawg. I got dis,” repeated Mike B.

Jeff instantly calmed down. He wasn't afraid of Mike B or in the habit of listening to him, but he knew how emotional the situation was for his friend and he wanted to respect however Mike B chose to handle things.

“Yo, I'ma ask you one time and one time only,” Mike B started out with, directing his words to Gee-Live. “What did my cousin do to you?”

The question caught Gee-Live by surprise. To his knowledge, he didn't even know any of Mike B's family, let alone his cousin. He pondered on the question. Gee-Live drew a blank.
Who the fuck is this nigga's cousin?
he asked himself.
And what the fuck he got to do with me?

The few beefs and altercations he had pending had all been handled and wrapped up. Either they had been resolved, war or peace. No matter the case, Gee-Live was victorious or satisfied with the outcome. He quickly ran through his mental enemy file cabinets, opening up old files of his past and recent street beefs. One in particular stood out. He thought back to the
Courier News
article he had read a few mornings ago.
Oh, shit,
he thought.
That's who he gotta be talkin' about
, Gee-Live concluded. It dawned on him who Mike B was referring to, and a light went on inside his head.

“Who Twan?” he asked nervously, the obvious becoming apparent to him.

“Who else, muthafucka?” intervened Jeff, but Gee-Live ignored Jeff and kept his attention focused on Mike B.

“Come on, M. I know you don't think I had somethin' to do with that. What sense would that make, knowing that that was your peoples and how you get down? I ain't have no beef with Twan, kid,” stated Gee-Live, hoping that he sounded convincing enough for Mike B to believe him.

Little did he know, Mike B was already convinced, just not of what Gee-Live would have wanted him to be convinced of.

“So you trying to tell me that you and my cousin ain't have no words a couple of weeks ago at the First Fridays at Venue and he ain't throw no drink in your face at Hugo's after that?” asked Mike B, seeing the surprised look on Gee-Live's face as he spoke the truth.

“Nah, I mean yeah, we had words,” Gee-Live managed to get out, fumbling over his words. “But yo, we deaded that shit last week, before he got killed. That shit wasn't about nothin'. I swear to you, B, me and your fam peaced that up, and it wasn't no love lost. That drink shit, I ate that,” ended Gee-Live.

Mike B studied Gee-Live as he spoke. Partially what he was saying made sense, but the other part he had never heard before. No one ever said that anything was squashed between Gee-Live and Twan, and both he and Jeff had many ears to the streets. Had it not been for a friend of Jeff's girlfriend that was sleeping with Gee-Live, Mike B and Jeff would have never made mention of it. The girl insisted on remaining anonymous that told Jeff's girl about how Gee-Live obsessed over seeking revenge on Twan. The news was relayed to Mike B's girl, who told him. Because of the valuable information and how he obtained it, Mike B respected the wishes of the anonymous girl and didn't press the issue with his or Jeff's girl to give him a name, especially since her initial stories about the two incidents at First Friday's and Hugo's checked out and were confirmed to have happened.

For his final performance, Gee-Live deserved an Oscar. Had it not been for what he found in Gee-Live's truck, Mike B may have believed him. However, there was no way in the world he would be able to explain how he possessed something that Mike B knew his cousin Twan treasured.

“You squashed the beef, huh?” Mike B asked dryly.

“No doubt! I don't have no reason to lie to you, M.”

“You don't have no reason to lie to me, huh?” he repeated Gee-Live's words with that same sarcastic tone.

“Nah dawg, agh!”

Before he could get his words out Mike B shot him in the kneecap.

“So, what the fuck was you doin' with this in your truck? Huh, muthafucka?” he shouted, revealing his cousin's fourteen karat rose gold diamond clustered ring.

You never caught Twan without it on. It was the only piece of gold jewelry that he owned once everyone switched to Platinum. Only Mike B knew the significance behind the ring that everyone wondered why he constantly wore along with his Platinum iced out shines. It had been the last thing his Aunt Dean, who was Twan's mother, had bought Twan before she died and he swore to never take it off as long as he lived. To find it in Gee-Live's Navigator, only told Mike B one thing.

“Mike B—Mike B, please man don't kill me. I swear to God I didn't have nothing to do with Twan's death and I never seen that ring before in my li—”

The two shots ended his words in midsentence. “You don't have a life no more, muthafucka!” spit Mike B, finishing Gee-Live's last word for him as he pumped two in his head with his silenced. 40-caliber.

“Come on J, let's roll,” he then turned around and said to Jeff.

“Hold up!”

Jeff stood over Gee-Live and dumped three more shots into his lifeless body then followed up by spitting on him before they fled the scene.

* * *

Lenore sat and waited anxiously around the corner in her charcoal grey, E350 Benz. It had been nearly a half an hour since she had arrived at the park and pulled behind her boyfriend's truck. For a minute, she began to worry because this was her first time ever being a part of Mike B's business affairs. When she was asked to play a part in some business he had to handle like the one she knew he was handling today, she was surprised. She was used to being in the house worrying. Now she sat not too far from where Mike B and Jeff were, worrying. Based on what she believed, they were behind schedule. She hoped that nothing had gone wrong. Just as her worry began to really set in, she saw two figures buck the corner, hiking their way toward her direction with snorkel jackets on. She was certain that the two individuals had to be Mike B and Jeff. She adjusted her seat, which was once reclined, and started up the car as they approached. Mike B jumped in the passenger's side of Lenore's Mercedes as Jeff went and hopped in Mike B's Audi.

“What took so long?” a concerned Lenore asked.

“Nothing,” was the only response.

She knew that meant he didn't want to talk about it, so she left it at that.

“Here take these. I need you to do what I told you to do with them.”

Mike B handed Lenore the two guns he and Jeff just used on Gee-Live. For the past year, Lenore had been Mike B's ride or die chick, and to him she was definitely a rider. He had met her through Jeff's girl, Denise, who Jeff had been with for the past few years. Jeff shared with Mike B how Denise was actually the female that unconsciously pulled his coat to how Gee-Live was telling everybody that he worked for him, which resulted in Jeff splitting with Gee-Live that night and getting down with Mike B months later. From the door, Mike B was feeling Lenore who at the time, had just moved out to Jersey from the West Coast. She possessed all of the qualities that he was attracted to in a woman, both inside and out. She was pretty, had a nice body, knew how to cook, was intelligent both school and street wise, and was a freak in the bed. What attracted Mike B to her the most, was her knowledge of the streets and guns. She was from the hood but wasn't hooded out and that's what he liked.

Lenore knew all there was to know about guns, from taking them apart to filing down serial numbers. She had shared with Mike B how her father was in the military and taught her all about weapons. Her reason for leaving L.A. was due to the fact that she had shot her abusive lover four times in the chest leaving him for dead. Mike B could tell by her eyes that she had seen a lot and been through a lot. It was then that he had vowed to be there for her and in return, she made that same vow, which was why when he got into an altercation at a club one night and a beef erupted, she was the one who shot the dude that Mike B couldn't see coming up on his blind side. When Mike B heard the shot behind him, he turned around and saw the wounded dude laying on the ground and finished him off. That night Lenore got rid of both the one she used and Mike B's gun. She had saved him from going to jail, but most importantly, she had saved his life. Earning a spot in his heart and gaining his trust. From that day forward, Mike B made sure she never wanted for nothing and that she never had to be in the streets again.

“I'll meet you back at the house after I drop Jeff off, a'ight,” said Mike B.

He leaned over to give Lenore a kiss, with one hand on the door handle.

“Okay,” replied Lenore as they broke their kiss.

Mike B exited the Benz and hopped in his Audi truck. Lenore gave him and Jeff a few minutes head start before she herself pulled off. Like normal, she unlocked her cell phone and called her best friend.
So far so good,
she thought as she scrolled down to Denise's number.

“Hello?” Denise answered, sounding cautious seeing the blocked number coming across her caller ID screen. Normally, she didn't answer block numbered calls, but today she made an exception. She figured it was the call she was expecting.

“What's up, ma?” Lenore's voice came through the receiver.

“Hey girl!” Denise replied ecstatic to be hearing Lenore's voice. “Where you at?”

“I'm in the area,” responded Lenore, not wanting to give her specific location.

“How'd everything go?” Denise then asked concerned.

“According to plan.”

“Where's Mike B and Jeff at?”

“Mike B went to drop Jeff off at his place.”

“So how long before you get here?” asked Denise.

“Within the next hour or less, as soon as I take care of a few things I'll be there. Did you take care of what you were supposed to?” asked Lenore.

“Yeah, everything's good on my end. I got it,” answered Denise.

“Okay, I'll see you when I get there.”

“All right, and Lenore,” Denise stopped her before she hung up.

“What's up?”

“I'm glad everything went all right,” she said.

“Me too, ma. I'll see you soon.”

“Yo, Ja, I'll get at you next day kid. I'm takin' it down for the day, a'ight,” said Mike B, parking his SUV in Jeff's, Bridgewater condominium parking lot.

“A'ight, no doubt I'm fallin' back for the day too. I'm probably going to call up Denise and have her come thru, so we can Netflix and chill and shit.”

“I feel that. Tell her I said what's up.”

Mike B's mind was elsewhere. He was still thinking about what he had just done. Normally he wouldn't even think twice when it came to putting in work. But something about Gee-Live and the way he was acting didn't sit right with him. He was expecting a different reaction than what Gee-Live had offered. True, he had killed the man he believed to be responsible for killing his little cousin, but Gee-Live's denying it was what had Mike B somewhat disturbed. From what all he knew about him, Mike B couldn't believe that Gee-Live had went out without a fight, or at least popping shit. He was known for boasting and bragging so his pleading, begging, and denial behavior didn't add up to Mike B.
Why the fuck would he not fess up if he knew I was gonna push him anyway?
Mike B pondered.

“Yo?” Jeff's voice snapped him out of his trance.

Mike B wiped his face with both his hands. “My bad, dawg. My mind just drifted.”

“To what, nigga?”

He peered over at his friend oddly.

“Nothing. Shit ain't about nothin'.” Mike B brushed the thought off.

Jeff shrugged. “Yeah, no question. Tell sis I said what up too, I'll holla back,” said Jeff, hopping out of the Audi.

“Will do.”

“Cool. One.” The two men dapped each other.

“Catch you later.” Mike B offered.

Jeff nodded. “Get you some rest, my dude. You seem out of it.” Jeff suggested right before he reached for the passenger's door handle. Seconds later, he was out of the SUV, heading toward his condo.

Mike B backed out of the parking space and pulled off as the latest bass track knocked in his factory system. “I roll me a blunt then I sit and I meditate, so many snakes in the grass, I don't walk, I just levitate.”

He sang along with the chorus as he navigated his way toward Route 22 East highway and headed back to Plainfield.