The Corner II (30 page)

“What?” Jamel asked knowing that they hadn’t hit any of their destinations.

“I gotta, I mean I
need
to do something. Stop the truck.”

Jamel glanced at Noonie who simply hunched his shoulders. He pulled the truck over and John John jumped out and headed toward a group of homeless people. They were on a corner on Western Avenue in a not so nice neighborhood. John reached inside his Carhart coat and pulled out a knot.

Jamel picked his mini-fro and when he saw John John pull out the knot, Jamel stopped picking, “What’s this nigga doin? Is he crazy?”

Reese laughed, “Let me get out and make sure nobody robs Robin Hood.”

At that moment a couple of the men standing around whispered to each other and was going to get brave. John John didn’t miss a beat. He pulled his coat back revealing two pistols nestled in his waistband and that stopped the men in their tracks and their greed caused them not to get any of the money John was dishing out. Reese’s big ass mugged the men in the face yelling, “Get y’all bitch asses outta here. My man giving you some free loot and you gon try to jump his ass? Don’t let me hear one word that y’all tried to take any of these people’s loot, or I’ma come back and cut your nuts off.”  A few of the homeless people laughed as they took off in different directions after thanking the men.

As John John and Reese walked back to the truck Reese said, “Next time you wanna feel like you in the giving mood I’m with ya. But let’s give out food. With money a lot of them ain’t gonna do shit but go and buy some drugs.”

Reese and John John got back into the truck and the four men were on their way to do what they were out to do. Noonie handed them all a ninja mask then they pulled into the parking lot of a convenience store and waited. Noonie told John John that they had a woman get close to one of Bone’s men—a stripper from Gary who finally got Raynard’s attention. She had fucked him a couple of times and he always brought her to the same hotel that they were now watching. Tonight was just like the past couple of Saturdays. They go out for drinks and then head to the hotel that was on the west side where Raynard would fuck, then leave the woman so he could head off to the club to hang with the fellas so he could line up some more ass.

They waited across the street and when they saw Raynard coming out of the hotel looking back and forth in the darkness, they got ready. The woman was right behind him and got into her car. They would meet up with her later to give her five thousand dollars then she would head back to Gary never to hang out in the ’hood clubs again in Chicago after tonight. She made it to her Ford Escape and he got into his shiny new black Dodge Charger. Raynard talked on his cell while he waited for his car to warm up, but the young lady took off for she knew what was about to happen next.

Raynard finally pulled out of the lot once his windows got defrosted. He pulled onto the street and there wasn’t any traffic. He drove a few blocks and told the person on the other end that he was on his way, that he should make it to the club by midnight. He was talking on the phone and trying to light a blunt so he didn’t notice the stolen Tahoe when it pulled up alongside of him.

Pop, pop, pop, pop, pop, pop, pop, pop, pop, pop, pop, pop, pop, pop, pop,
the shots rang out and the flashes were bright. Noonie and Reese were on the passenger’s side of the SUV pointing their pistols out of the window and let off fifteen 9mm rounds into the Charger which ended up crashing into a parked car. They sped off into the darkness. John John looked out the back window and saw the wrecked vehicle and figured that there was no way the man was living.

Noonie looked at Jamel who was one of the best getaway drivers he knew. The kid knew when to speed and when to slow down to keep the police from picking up their tail. It was pure instinct and a little luck, but for some reason, Jamel had a sour look pasted on his face. “What, nigga?” Noonie asked as they dipped onto the freeway.

“I ain’t get to do no shooting,” he barked.

Noonie and Reese laughed at the young man and promised him the next hit. Jamel told them, “Now that’s what’s up.”  He turned on the CD player and bumped
Swagger Like Us
by T.I.

John John just shook his head as he put the hot pistols in a canvass bag to be thrown into the Chicago River.

*     *     *

It was after midnight when Lisa arrived at Devin’s. They were supposed to have hooked up earlier, but Devin got caught up at his poker game. Lisa was a bit pissed, but she blew it off seeing as how he and the fellas usually played on the last Saturday of the month. But since it was at Devin’s apartment, he got them all to agree to play on Wednesday so that they would have the holiday weekend free.

The moonlight shone on their bodies as Devin sat in the chair by the window with Lisa straddled on top of him facing the window and he, the opposite way. She held onto his head and he had a mouthful of her  left breast, as he was deep inside her. His strong hand was on her back forcing her into him, as her nipple seemed to grow larger as he masterfully caressed it with his tongue. She used her feet to help with her rhythm of up and down. She tightened her muscles around him and after thirty minutes of slow passionate grinding he couldn’t take it anymore. She felt his body tighten and he clawed at her back and grunted like never before. He came so hard and it flooded Lisa with his warm love. She kept her rhythm and within seconds she was crying out with head tilted back and mouth wide open. When she opened her eyes she was staring at the moon and felt how she and Devin’s heartbeats were in sync. They held one another and when they finally spoke it was in unison and the words were—I love you.

Devin climbed into his bed. It was after one and Lisa should have been in the bed also seeing as how she had to get up early and make some sweet potato pies to take over to Shay’s. She and Devin were going over to her friends’ for Thanksgiving dinner. They had wanted to go to Devin’s mothers for the holiday but she was planning Christmas dinner so they decided to go to Shay’s. Lisa was in the shower while floating on cloud nine. She was in love with Devin and actually felt more in love with him than she did back when she was into Terrance. At that time in her life, she was still a bit materialistic and selfish. Now she realized what love was all about and all she thought about was how Devin was hard working, carefree and loving. He was strong when he needed to be and gentle when she wanted him to be—he was a man. And she could see herself with him for the rest of her life, raising kids and spoiling grandkids.

Lisa got out of the shower and dried off. She cut off the pot that she was boiling the sweet potatoes in. She took them out of the water that was left and was about to get into the bed next to her man when she noticed the glow coming from the living room. Devin had forgotten to turn off his laptop. She sat in the chair to his desk and was about to play a quick game of solitaire. She’d become hooked by playing it all the time whenever she had nothing to do while working at the law office. When she hit the wrong key she tried to get back to where she was but then hit another key that took her to a file. She paused for a second knowing what she was about to do was wrong but she clicked anyway and got the surprise of her life. Covering the screen were a few familiar faces and the faces of a lot of men and women that she’d never even seen in her life. The one photo that almost stopped her heart from beating was the picture of Slim with the words ‘profile most likely changed’ printed under his face. Lisa began to feel angry but kept pressing and when she did she saw her picture and a paragraph detailing Devin’s assignment as an undercover assigned to get close to her just in case Slim tried to contact her. She broke down in tears as she read on and realized that she got the job at the law office so that Devin could meet her and start a relationship—she snapped.

Devin was knocked out, asleep and lightly snoring but was awakened by the pressure that was on his chest. When his eyes opened they were staring down the barrel of his .45 automatic. Lisa was straddled over him crying. Tears streamed down her face and she was sniffling, but the pistol that was gripped in her hand was steady.

Making sure not to set her off, calmly Devin asked, “Baby, what are you doing?”

She yelled, “You are a fucking liar!”

Worried that she’d accidentally pull the trigger he begged, “Can you just put the gun down and let me explain.”

She screamed, “It ain’t shit you can say, Devin. If that’s really your name!” 

Devin knew what the only thing was that could have set Lisa off like this and hated that she had to find out this way. Lisa had thought she’d made the right decision for once when it came to men but found that she had made another mistake. Devin stared down the barrel of the pistol hoping that he could convince Lisa that he really loved her no matter what she’d seen on his laptop, which was the only way she could have found out between the time they’d made love and now, and he couldn’t believe that he’d slipped up like that. He thought he’d turned the computer off but clicked the wrong button—restart instead of shut down. He had a lock on the computer but it only worked when trying to log on and he made the mistake of not logging off.

Lisa was yelling at him asking him why? When she took her tear filled eyes off him for a second to sniff her running nose he found his chance. He quickly knocked her arms to the side, grabbed hold of the pistol and flung her off him all in the same motion. He did it as gentle as he could but hard enough to get out of the dangerous position he was in. Lisa ended up on the side of the bed on the floor and tried to fight Devin—something she’d never imagined doing. She screamed for him to let her go but he held her tightly and rocked her gently. He didn’t say a word for a couple of minutes. He used the time for her to calm down. Then he whispered in her ear, “I never meant to hurt you. Yes, I am a police detective. I work undercover narcotics and I was assigned to get close to you but I didn’t expect to fall in love with you, and that’s what I did. I fell in love and I am in love.”

Lisa cried and wiggled in a futile attempt to get out of Devin’s hold, “No. Stop lying to me!”

“Baby, I swear I’m telling the truth. From the first time we had lunch together I wanted off the case. I went to my superiors and asked to get off the case, but they wouldn’t let me. And I’m glad they didn’t because we wouldn’t have had the chance to build what we have.”

Lisa was a bit calmer, saying, “We have nothing. It is all built on lies. I don’t even know who—”

Devin cupped her chin in his hand, “You know who I am. And you know that I love you and I know that you love me. Don’t leave me. Woman, I will do anything you ask to be with you, anything.”

They stared into each other’s eyes. Lisa’s mind was racing and her heart was pounding. She surely didn’t want to lose Devin, but trust is what relationships are made of and she didn’t think she could trust Devin right now. That’s what her mind was telling her while her heart was telling her something different. She decided to find out how much Devin really wanted to be with her. She asked, “Anything?”

“Anything,” he whispered. He was relieved to see that he still had a chance.

“Quit your job as an undercover. You don’t have to quit being a police officer just quit narcotics, working undercover.”

“Is that what you really want me to do?” Pain was written all over his face. He worked narcotics for a reason, but he was willing to give it up for Lisa.

“Yes.”

“I’ll let them know that I refuse to work it, and I’ll give up my detective badge and go to patrol. For you I will do anything.”

They kissed but it wasn’t the same. The passion wasn’t there. It was inside of them but just not in the kiss at the moment. Devin had deceived Lisa even though he loved her and Lisa selfishly asked him to quit something that he loved to go and write speeding tickets, go on burglary calls and domestic disturbances.

They talked a bit, but things didn’t change with Lisa. She was hurt and devastated. Not only did Devin lie to her, he was working a case on her ex and his crew and she felt as if he was using her. Lisa gathered her belongings and told Devin that she’d rather go over to Shay’s for Thanksgiving alone. He agreed and she could tell that he was hurt but she had to think of her own feelings. She walked out of the apartment, but Devin asked her to wait. He handed her a box telling her that he was going to give it to her during Thanksgiving dinner, but since he wasn’t going he thought he’d give it to her now. That no matter what had happened she had earned it and he still wanted to give it to her. He stepped back into his apartment and slowly shut the door.

*     *     *

Raynard’s only visitors during his three-day stay in the hospital were the police that night and Thanksgiving morning and a couple of his women. He was lucky that he’d worn his vest. The Kevlar took about six rounds keeping them from hitting his body and all they did was put six painful bruises on his torso. One round grazed his forehead and two took a little meat off his arm and shoulder while all the other rounds missed. Bone was furious when he got the call from Raynard’s girl. It didn’t take a rocket scientist to know who was behind the attempted murder on Raynard’s life. First it was Cat and now his partner. It was time to reach out and touch somebody and he knew who to put his hands on. He called Dre and told him to go ahead and make the move they were talking about. Dre, a young thug who loved the adrenaline rush that killing gave him, was more than willing to make the move. He had a master plan that he was going to put into effect.