Miss Wayne and the Queens of DC (The Cartel Publications Presents) (12 page)

To be honest, I hadn’t given the burned house any more thought once we made our move to 28
^th
place. Besides, had it not been for the fire, I would not have come up with the scheme to hold the parties. But now that I know a person was actually responsible for that shit, I wanted blood.
“How do you know for sure it was him?”
“W…what you mean?” he stutters.
“Why would anybody tell you anything? Somethin’ don’t sound right to me.”
“They didn’t tell me. They told Garisha. They told him Paul was tryin’ to get some money from his house insurance.”
I think he’s lying but can’t prove it.
“Go head, Tyrone.”
“The ‘T’ is that Paul was mad that you beat him into another state and he wanted to pay you back and come up on some cash. So instead of facin’ you queen to queen, he burned the house down his mother raised him in.” he continues. “But I know where he lives, Wayne. All we gotta do is pay these people five hundred bucks to beat the brakes off of Queen Paul and it’s done.”
I consider my options. Do I hurt somebody off the strength of what she says, or do I let shit go and take it as a loss? Then I remember, I hadn’t heard anything from that fish name Paul since I taught him a lesson. And since queens believe in revenge and would sell their mothers to get it, why didn’t he come for me?
“Do it.” I say pulling the money from my stuffed bra. “And let me know when it’s done.”
“No problem,” he says accepting the money.
“Let whoever does it know that I’ll give them an extra fifty if they show me a picture of his fractured face. But…and hear me good, you betta not fuck this up. I don’t want you nowhere near the scene. Understood?”
“I got you.”
“Good, ‘cause if he burnt down his own house, there’s nothin’ to stop him from tryin’ to do it here and I don’t want to have to kill his ass.”
“It’s as good as done, Wayne.” She smiles.
I hope I didn’t just make a GRAVE mistake.

Wayne, Parade, Sky and Daffany built an unbreakable bond. No longer did Wayne feel like an outcast or any of them for that matter. They finally belonged…together.

One afternoon over Wayne’s house, they were all enjoying some turkey sandwiches and cool homemade lemonade in the kitchen when Wayne noticed Parade’s dingy clothing.

“Parade,” he said after sipping his juice, “how come your clothes never look clean?”
Parade looked at him and then the rest of her friends. “What you mean?” she asked swallowing hard.
“I love you, honey but you just never look fresh,” he said softly. He truly wasn’t trying to embarrass her. Their friendship had grown so much that he knew he could ask her such a personal question around the rest of their crew with no hard feelings because they all loved her.
“I try to wash my own clothes but if my mother don’t give me no money, then what can I do?”
“Well,” Wayne said dipping into his pocket, “I have ten dollars and you can have it.” He pushed the money across the table to her.
Sky and Daffany looked at Wayne and followed suit.
“I have two dollars,” Daffany said. “I tongue kissed this boy at school the other day and he gave it to me. You can have it though.”
“Here’s ten from me. I can get you some more anytime you need it. All you gotta do is ask,” Sky bragged. “You know my peoples’ pockets stay fat.”
Parade took the money into her small hands, looked at her friends and cried. Stuffing the money inside her pocket, she stood up and said, “Thank you…but ya’ll don’t know what kinda life I got, and you wouldn’t understand it even if you did. Nobody would.”
“Help us understand.” Wayne said standing up from the table.
“It’s too hard. I have to go!” She said before bolting out the front door. She could be violent if followed and her friends knew this so they left her alone.
Parade ran to her house, which was in the same apartment complex that Wayne and the rest of her friends lived. The moment she opened her front door, she saw her father sitting on a leather recliner, rocking and watching Family Feud on TV.
“What’s wrong, baby?” he asked seeing her upset.
“Nothin’,” she said wiping her tears. “I’m okay.”
“You sure?”
“Yes.”
“I can’t tell. I could swear I see tears in my daughter’s eyes,” he said kindly.
Parade walked up to her father amazed at how different he was from her mother. He talked to her when they were alone whereas her mother acted as if she didn’t exist.
Parade walked slowly over to her father, and sat on his lap. “Now…tell me what’s wrong, baby?”
“My friends are so much better than me. They have new clothes and money to do stuff with and I never got nothin’. I’m embarrassed to go to school sometimes, daddy. I hate my life.”
“I know money’s been tight around here,” he said holding her lovingly in his arms, “but things will get better. You’re in middle school now and you have four friends who care about you. Be happy for the small things.”
Parade listened to her father attentively and her stomach fluttered. She loved him so much. He always knew what to say to her when she was upset and she was grateful.
When he finished with his words of wisdom, she turned to him and kissed him softly on the lips. He rarely showed emotion, or even hugged her, unless they were alone.
When their lips separated, he looked into her eyes, smiled and their lips met again. The kiss was passionate and Parade loved the secret relationship she had with her father. He picked her up and carried her to her bedroom.
He was the one who taught her how to move her hips and perform oral sex. She enjoyed the tingling sensations that overcame her body when he kissed her softly on her special place and out of appreciation, she returned the favor. During these times, she felt wanted and loved. To her what they were doing wasn’t wrong. It was love. They spent the next thirty minutes indulging in everything but a healthy father and daughter relationship.
What they didn’t know was that Parade’s mother had come home early and caught their indiscretions. She couldn’t believe what she was seeing and their betrayal ripped her apart. Sure she had her suspicions all along…but she hoped it wasn’t true. Sadly she turned around and walked away from her daughter’s bedroom door, never saying a word to either of them. But what she witnessed made her hate her only child even more.
A few years later the secret relationship Parade shared with her father ceased and vanished from her memory. Remembering only bits and pieces of it in her dreams. But soon, that all would change.

Big Boody Brandy waited impatiently at the Anacostia Park train station for Tyrone. Ever since she found out she tried to set her up by having Garisha’s brother rob her, she’d been extorting money from him. This was the main reason she didn’t want to kill him like Paul wanted. She figured she’d wait until Tyrone couldn’t pay anymore, and then take care of him. She’d already gotten ten thousand dollars out of him with plans to take more.

Walking out of her brand new white Saab, she left her dog Maxie inside because it was raining. She left the windows down so her puppy wouldn’t suffocate but was still worried about him. Tyrone called her a few minutes earlier and said he was around the corner with her five hundred dollars.

When she saw the car pull up, she stood up straight and gripped her Fendi purse closely. Although she knew Tyrone knew better than to fuck with her, she always carried heat just in case.

“Hey, Brandy,” Tyrone says once out of the blue Nissan Sentra Garisha was driving.
“Don’t hey me.” She says eyeing Garisha who was so scared of her, she didn’t look in Brandy’s direction. “You got all my money right?”
Tyrone dug in his ugly black pocketbook and handed her the cash. “It’s all there.”
After Brandy counted all of the money she says, “Good. And what took you so long?”
“Garisha took forever to pick me up,” he pauses. “But can I ask you somethin’?”
“What?”
“How long is this gonna go on? I mean, I think I paid my debt to you by now, Brandy. Don’t you?”
“Oh…you think so?” she asks sarcastically. “So tell me, how much do you think my life is worth? ‘Cause I can tell you now it’s worth more than ten thousand dollars.”
“I’m not sayin’ it like that, Brandy. I’m just sayin’, it was only a fifty-dollar bag of weed bag. And since my wife killed herself, I don’t know how I’m gonna get you no more money.”
“I heard! But damn, you really did have that bitch wrapped around your little finger.”
“Seriously, Brandy. You call my house all hours of the night, show up when you need money for the club and I just want it to stop.”
“Then what you waitin’ on, Tyrone? Do somethin’ ‘bout it?” he smirks. “I’m standin’ right here. Make a move.”
Tyrone’s lips tighten and he says, “I’m not tryin’ to start no shit wit’ you, bitch.”
“You already did.”
“I know…but this is fucked up. It’s not even fair.”
“And I don’t give a fuck what you think. When I’m done with you, you’ll know. Just make sure that you have five thousand a month for me until I say so. Or I’m goin’ go to the cops about that football player I know you and Garisha’s manly lookin’ ass murdered. Don’t fuck with me, Tyrone.”
“I won’t.”
To kill two birds with one stone Brandy says, “Oh yeah…what you gonna do about Paul? I told you he wanted me to kill you.”
“I’m goin’ over there now. You sure he havin’ the party?”
“What you think? I ain’t got not reason to lie. I’m out. I’ll holla at you later.”
After Brandy walked away leaving Tyrone to himself, she smiled realizing her good luck. She knew Tyrone was a punk but this was ridiculous. Once Brandy made it to her car, her heart dropped when she saw her dog Maxie lying lifelessly on the floor of the drivers seat.
“Maxie!” she screams in horror.
Her purse fell to the ground as she wrestled to open the door. And when she did, her guard went down and she was grabbed from behind. Placing his forearm around Brandy’s neck, he used his other free hand to place a napkin containing Chloroform over her mouth and nose. And when she passed out, he pushed her in the car, and drove to an undisclosed location. Brandy would never be seen alive again.

“I shouldn’t even be talkin’ to your ass right now.” Garisha says to me as she’s driving down the road. “I can’t believe you still dealing wit’ Big Boody’s bitch ass.”

“Stop whinnin’ over dried shit?!" He repeats. "Did you forget that
that
bitch stabbed me?”
“Don’t put that shit on me, Garisha. How I know he was gonna catch you in your car lookin’ stupid? If anything I should be mad at you.”
“How you figure?” he asks whipping his head toward me.
“Because had your brother been smart enough to wear a long sleeve shirt, I wouldn’t have gotten into a beef with Big Boody to begin with. Now that hag extortin’ money out of me and shit. Where Detroit at anyway?”
“Girl, locked up! Again!”
“Has he ever considered the fact that crime may not be his thang?”
“I don’t know, girl” he says waving me off. “But why you payin’ this bitch anyway?”
“You playin’ right?” I ask staring at her.
“Heaven’s no…why?”
“Because she was with us the day we were with Andy. All she gotta do is tell the cops we were the last who saw him and Betty Badge would be all over our ass. There’s no statute of limitations on murder, ugly.”
“Fuck all that…are you sure Queen Paul gonna be over there? Shit, I got some place else to be and I’m not waitin’ around all day fuckin’ wit’ you.”
“Yeah…just drive, Garisha, damn!”
“Well let me know when you see Parker Street.” She says. “I’m texting my new boo right now.”
“He must haven’t seen you yet,” I laugh.
“No. But when he does it’s gonna be all good,” she says with a scowl. “Pleeeaaase believe! You just look for the street.”
Although me and Garisha were cool, she still didn’t know I couldn’t read and I wasn’t gonna tell her either. She talk too much and I didn’t feel like everybody being in my business.
“Do you see the street yet, bitch?” Garisha asks me again. “’Cause you lookin’ like you don’t know what the fuck is goin’ on now.”
“Ummm…you know I can’t really see these street signs, girl. I wear glasses. You gonna have to help.”
“Damn bitch, you worthless!” She says putting her phone away. Like she should be texting and driving anyway. “Ain’t that the street right there?”
“I don’t know…I think so.” I squint looking at the sign.
“Yeah that’s it! Fuckin’ wit’ you, I almost missed it.” She complains whipping onto the street, almost knocking over a mailbox.
When we finally reach Queen Paul’s house, just like Big Boody said, Queen Paul and his crew were in the backyard having a bar-b-que. Music was booming from the speakers and everyone was dancing and talking shit.
“Pass the house a little,” I say. When we were a few houses away from Paul’s house, she parked. “This cool right here… you got the camera?”
“No but I got my camera phone.”
“Okay, let’s go.”
Garisha and me grab our bats and creep out of the car and up to Queen Paul’s house. Queens were all over the backyard in dro’s, laughing, drinking and having a good time.
“How we gonna get his ass out here? I’m not fuckin’ wit’ all of them at one time,” Says Garisha. “I hope you know that.”
When he says that, Paul walks around to the front of his house to talk on his phone and we could not believe our luck.
Quickly we run up behind her with bats in hand ready to handle our biz. But Queen Paul turns around and sees us right before we can land a blow. In fight or flight mode, Paul squares up and steals Garisha square in her extra large nose. Blood splashes everywhere. When she falls back, Paul continues to kick her with his pink pump repeatedly in the stomach. When she’s sure Garisha is dealt with, she smiles at me.
“Bitch, you must be a glutton for punishment,” says Paul.
“Miss Paul, it’s not even like that,” I say dropping the bat. “I was just comin’ over here with Garisha. I hadn’t a clue he meant to do you harm. You know we were cool after the last incident right? We even spoke at the Mill that night and everything. Remember?”
“Stop lying you wretched troll,” Garisha yells from the ground. “This was your project not mine! You got me all the way fucked up!”
“No I don’t either! I ain’t got no beef with Queen Paul.”
“Bitch, tell this lady Miss Wayne sent this mission!” Garisha continues, holding his face. “And miss me with all them lies! Tell him how Wayne wanted us to bring back the picture once we beat him down.”
Garisha didn’t know that although Wayne paid me to have Paul dealt with, Brandy was the one who wanted the work done for her own personal reasons. Since I needed the five hundred dollars anyway to give to Big Boody, I thought of a smart way to get it by telling Wayne them lies.
“Stop lyin’!” I yell at him. “This all you, guuurl!”
“I don’t know who’s lyin’! I do know you didn’t run me my rent and out of the blue show up at my house. Then my house burns down. What the fuck is up with that?”
“That wasn’t me. I know you know that, Paul. We were in that fire too and could have gotten killed.”
“Well what you talkin’ ‘bout, Miss Wayne sent this mission?” Queen Paul asks Garisha.
“It’s true!” Garisha confirms. “He got it in for you and sent us. I wish Miss Ty stop lyin’! I don’t know why I even fuck wit’ her sometimes.”
“What Miss Wayne want with me?” Paul asks confused. “I ain’t got no more business with her.”
“He said you had something to do with the house burnin’ down.” I say.
“You mean my house?” he asks touching his chest with one hand, placing the other hand on his hip. “Oh Miss girl how you sound? “What I look like burning my mother’s house down?”
“I said the same thing.” I say. “I knew you wouldn’t do somethin’ like that but Wayne wouldn’t hear it. Can you just let me go? I don’t want no problems.”
“Well bitch which one is it? At first you said I sanctioned this shit and now you said Wayne! See Queen Paul, this bitch is fabricating scenes!” Garisha yells.
Paul looks at me and in a high pitch voice yells, “Bitches on deck!”
When thirty drag queens came running from around the back of the house, my ass sweats.
“Stomp attack!” Paul says. “I want them mud!” he continues snapping his fingers.
For two long minutes, Paul’s crew beat and stomped us so badly, some of the queens got squeamish from all the blood and ran to the back of the house. They just couldn’t beat us anymore.
“Don’t let up! I want them dead!” Paul orders.
I have never been more scared, than I was right then. I had a feeling he really wanted me dead. And then one of the queens whispered to him.
“Not on your property,” he says. “You don’t want it done like this.”
When he was done Paul says, “Garisha, stand the fuck up and grab your phone too!” He does. But barely.
“Now…you did say Wayne wanted a picture right?”
He nods yes.
“Good, let me see your phone,” he says snatching it from his hand. “I wanna take a picture of you and this hog. So he can see our handywork. Ya’ll stand together.”
“What?” Garisha ask as if he wasn’t just speaking English.
“Bitch, I said get your ass over there next to Tyrone!” Garisha, who was in so much pain and could barely move, scoots next to me. Then Queen Pauls says, “Smile.”
We manage a weak ass smile. I just imagined how it would look with my broken teeth and black eyes. Queen Paul laughs and says, “You got Wayne number in here don’t you?”
“Yes,” Garisha says, holding her stomach.
“Good.” He scrolls through the numbers and finds Wayne’s. Then he sends him the picture message he just took handing the phone back to Garisha. “And when you speak to him tonight, you two bitches betta tell him that the next time he wants it with me, to come see me personally.”