The Corner II (33 page)

*     *     *

“Oooh yes, daddy that’s it, hit…that...fuckin’…spot!” the woman screamed as she held on. Slim was standing while holding the woman as he dug her out.

Slim’s cell rang for the fourth time and once he got his nut he laid the woman on the bed. It was Noonie and he gave Slim the news of what had just transpired at one of their most lucrative spots. Pissed, though he didn’t show it, Slim told Noonie that he’d call him back in ten minutes. Slim told the woman that he had business to take care of. He gave her five hundred dollars and the woman smiled. She wasn’t trying to hustle Slim, but the money was welcomed. They were at the Hilton and he told her that he had business, that they were going to have to cut things short. She smiled and it didn’t take a rocket scientist to realize that Slim was a baller and not the real-estate investor like he’d said. Nevertheless, she took the money and left. She had met Slim at the Ford City mall and was barely making it. She felt lucky to have met a man with money like Slim. If she only knew with whom she had laid with, she could have gotten money hand over fists to set up the man who the police, mob, the Fuentes’ and Bone wanted so badly.

Once Nessie left, Slim called Noonie back and his lieutenant explained in detail what happened and then broke the news that they had a snitch in the camp. That John John was the police. Slim was pissed but didn’t let it show. He simply asked what all did the man know and who brought him into the crew. Noonie was broken when he told him that it was DC because he knew what Slim was going to tell him. And without hesitation Slim ordered Noonie to clean up the mess. To tie all the loose ends that John John knew about and to
take care
of DC—and Noonie knew he meant for him to do it. Noonie also knew that if he didn’t that he and Chantel would end up dead. This was the life that he and DC chose and there are rules and no one man could be allowed to break them.

Tying Up Loose Ends

L
aTanza parked halfway down the block and watched as Angelina parked in front of her house then stepped out of her blue mid-sized Honda SUV. She’d followed the woman from her job at the Department Of Motor Vehicles to the mall where she had to wait for the woman to shop. She parked a couple of rows over until the short ordinary looking Hispanic woman came walking out carrying bags full of wrapped and unwrapped gifts. It was only a couple of days before Christmas, and LaTanza guessed the woman was finishing her shopping. LaTanza noticed one of the bags that were from Kay Bee toy store and the thought of the woman having kids at home ran through her mind. She didn’t want to confront her if there were children in the house. She didn’t want the child or children to have to grow up with the pain of witnessing the death of their mother seeing as how she had grown up with too many painful memories of her family herself. The original plan was to just follow the woman so she’d know where she lived, but once Angelica pulled into the driveway of her three bedrooms flat, LaTanza began to feel angry. Her eyes tightened as she stared at Angelica. A plain and simple looking woman. Someone who couldn’t have possibly had what it took to take a husband away from his family. She was nothing more than a plain Jane. No thrill to her whatsoever, at least not on the outside. Angelica had changed into a baby blue and white Adidas warm up suit and a thick white skullcap before she left work. She also had on a black leather coat and LaTanza who was outfitted in designer jeans, a cashmere sweater, and three quarter length suede coat, thought the woman she was following looked tacky.

LaTanza managed a smile while thinking about how Style’s man had come through and found where Angelina worked. She watched as the woman activated her alarm to her truck then picked up and retied one of the lit candy canes that the strong wind had blown over. Once she had the Christmas decoration tied back to the porch railing, she entered her home. The east side neighborhood reminded LaTanza of the old neighborhood she lived in as a child and that got her to going.

“If this bitch thinks she’s going to have a child by my husband and reduce me to living like this, she’s out of her fucking mind!” LaTanza muttered as she canvassed the aging neighborhood with her eyes—a neighborhood that was decent but had seen its better years. Some houses were well kept and some run down depending upon the owner of the home, but the fact was that it was just one of the older areas in the city.

Snow began to fall on the cold winter night, and the heavy flakes melted as they hit the warm windshield. LaTanza thought about what her daughter had asked her, if it was going to snow before Christmas. Not a lick of snow had fallen all month or in November and now her daughter was going to be surprised when she awoke and saw how white it was outside. The forecast was for four to six inches and she made a mental note to ease into Carlita’s room and pull her curtains back so when she awoke she would see that Christmas Eve day was blanketed with her wish, white wintry snow. And that meant that LaTanza would be able to take her little princess sledding after she took her to see her father. Both of the outings would be enough to tire the child out so she could fall asleep with no problem on Christmas Eve night.

LaTanza readied herself to go do what she had been planning for months. She grabbed the .38 revolver from the glove box and put it in her waistband. There was no need for her to put it in her purse. She wasn’t about to carry the extra item that held her identification, besides; all she was here to do was kill the woman. The same woman who used her sex to hook her husband into sharing his seed with her and now she was pregnant. Just the mere thought of Carlos sharing his dick with the plain ass woman made LaTanza want to throw up. She gripped the steering wheel so hard that her hands began to hurt but the pain was nothing. Her blood was beginning to boil and she got angrier by the second. She slipped on her leather gloves and scanned the block before she stepped out of the rented Grand Prix Fernando had a dope fiend sign for. As she fast walked to the house, through the picture window she could she the woman putting wrapped gifts under the Christmas tree. It was sickening to LaTanza to see the woman looking so happy—singing a Christmas melody along with Vanessa Williams while adjusting the tinsel and lights on her tree. LaTanza’s heels on her boots crunched a bit as she stepped on the salt that had been thrown on the porch. She rang the doorbell and within seconds the porch light came on and she could hear a little yap, yap dog possibly some type of useless Terrier, barking. One swift kick and the little Spuds McKinzie would be out of the way.

LaTanza got ready to end the woman’s life. All she had to do was get inside the house and it would all be done. All her worries would be over—at least that’s what her mind told her. When the woman opened the door she would rush in and do her thing.

The woman yelled, “Who is it?”  As she moved the curtain to the window to the side she saw that it was LaTanza.

Before LaTanza could speak the front door opened.

“Hi, LaTanza. It’s good to finally meet you.”  Angelica said as and noticed the incensed look on LaTanza’s face. “Is there something wrong?” she asked pleasantly as she reached for the handle to the screen door—to let Carlos’ wife inside.

*     *     *

Noonie was standing in the living room of DC’s apartment waiting for his partner to get dressed. It was cold out and the forecast was for snow so DC took off the low cut Lugz and put on his Timberlands. He was dressed in all Roca Wear from jeans to long sleeved shirt to down coat with fur around the hood. He left his black panty hose on his head so he didn’t mess up his waves then slid on his brown skully. Noonie had called his long time partner an hour ago and told him that they needed to meet with Slim about a spot on the North Side that was run by the Fuentes’.

“So whas’sup, do I need to bring a little extra heat or what?” He asked holding up a Glock nine and a Street Sweeper.

“Nah, homie, leave the gauge. He said we just going to go over some shit. He wants to figure out a plan to roll on the Fuentes’. He’s calling it ‘a Christmas gift for that bitch’.”

DC laughed at the thought of getting a little payback on the Fuentes’ for shooting John John. He hadn’t heard from his man seeing as how Slim ordered them to lay low until things cooled off so he didn’t go to the hospital.

DC nodded as he tucked the Glock under his shirt while telling his partner, “Now that’s what’s up.”

When they stepped out into the cold, DC stopped on the stoop and looked around. A war had started so all the ballers needed to be careful of where they went. He looked over at Noonie who really hadn’t said much since he’d arrived at DC’s house. He hoped his boy wasn’t trippin’ about Chantel.

“Dawg, we gonna murk them bustas who shot at ya’ girl. Believe that. You like my brotha so she’s close to my heart also.”  He put his hand on Noonie’s shoulder and squeezed it lightly as Noonie just stared at the Ford Excursion with a stoic look painted on his face as he tried to suppress his feelings. “Now cheer the fuck up nigga. I got ya’ back.” 

DC headed for the Excursion and as he got close he saw Jamel in the front seat—Noonie followed. DC started to tell the lower ranking Jamel to hop his ass in the back but he decided not to fuck with him. When he opened the tinted door he saw Reese’s heavyset ass leaned back smoking a blunt. He hopped in the back and told the man to pass that shit. Noonie opened the passenger’s door and told Jamel to drive. The youngster jumped out and got behind the wheel, Noonie got into the passenger’s side and told them to put out that shit until they got to where they were going. That Slim and Antwan were going to meet them in Maywood with some crooked ass cop who had some info to sell to them on the Fuentes’.

The Excursion cruised up the interstate to Maywood, a city west of Chicago. They bumped some T-Pain
as they all discussed putting in work against Bone and the Fuentes’. They also discussed the usual, hos. A new strip club was opening in Harvey, a south suburb. Slim’s crew ran the city so Reese thought that it would be good if they showed up at the spot and made their presence known with the strippers by dropping serious loot and letting them know that
they
were the ballers who were going to get them paid.

The ride took about forty minutes and they parked in the driveway of Mesha’s house, a female Jamel knew. He’d been fucking her for the past year and would kick her down with loot here and there. It was a place he would come to lay his head—a place that no one knew about except for the three other men sitting in the truck with him. But what mattered were the enemy and the police and they hadn’t a clue about the young out of town woman.

Noonie told Reese, “We cool now. Let’s blaze ’til Slim calls.”

“That’s what I’m talkin’ ’bout,” the big man said as he pulled out two blunts of that killer. He handed Noonie one for him and Jamel and he and DC went to work on the other while
‘One More Drink’
pumped through the speakers. They had the volume lower than they did when they were rolling up the expressway. The lights were out so they didn’t attract any unwanted attention even though they were in the driveway of the home.

“Man, this snow is starting to come down like a muthafucka,” Jamel said as he blew the smoke out his nose. “Turn the damn heat up!”

Noonie turned the knob to increase the airflow. He went back to puffing on his blunt. He passed it back to Jamel then took out a pint of Remy XO. He was feeling bad about what was about to go down. Mixed emotions ran through his body unlike the other men who were in the truck with him who knew DC had to go. They were given their orders and it would be their ass if they didn’t follow through with what their boss had ordered. Noonie hit the bottle hard and DC joked that he needed to chill that he didn’t want to be fucked up while handling business with Slim.

Noonie’s cell rang. He looked at the screen then answered. After a moment of listening, he told the person on the other end that they were on their way. He closed his phone then nodded at Jamel who put the massive SUV in gear.

“It’s on,” was all Noonie said trying not to show the pain that was inside him. Jamel drove from the side street to the busy intersection and waited for a city plow truck that was clearing paths on the streets that were getting blanketed with snow. He looked in his rearview mirror at Reese who purposely dropped the blunt as he was handing it to DC. When DC leaned forward to pick the blunt off the floor Reese pulled his pistol from his waistband and Noonie did the same.

*     *     *

It’s so good to finally meet you. Is there something wrong?
What the fuck is this bitch doing talking to me like we’re friends?  She doesn’t know me like that. LaTanza then thought quickly and whipped up a fake smile before asking, “Angelica can I come in.”

Angelica, who knew a lot about LaTanza, more than LaTanza would want her to know, let the mentally disturbed woman inside her home. LaTanza stepped in and could smell the sweet potato pies. Angelica had whipped them up before she went to work this morning and set them in the refrigerator. When she arrived home she put them in the oven as soon as she walked through the door.

“Something smells good,” LaTanza said as she looked around the living room that was filled with an average looking sofa, love seat, coffee and end tables. The Christmas tree was about the newest item in the room.