The Plug's Wife (14 page)

Caralina screamed and gurgled as her own blood threatened to choke her to death.  She felt one of her teeth jump loose.  Blood leaked from her nose and mouth making her face a wet deep crimson mess. 

Jordan hissed and spat vituperative words like the devil himself.  He slammed Caralina’s face several times on the sidewalk until she finally couldn’t feel it anymore. 

Then, just like God had sent down a guardian angel, Caralina heard a man calling out, screaming at Jordan to stop. 

“Yo man, why you hitting on that little girl?  You can’t find no men to beat on?” her savior’s voice shouted.  Caralina could barely see out of her battered eyes, but she could tell the source of the voice was moving fearlessly towards Jordan.  “I asked you a question, big man?  Can’t find no other men to test your boxing skills on?” This man had big cahones, that was for sure.

Mind ya fuckin’ business nigga!  This my bitch.  Get the fuck back in ya Benz and drive on bid’ness man.  You don’t want nothin’ wit me,” Jordan replied ignorantly, tightening his hold on Caralina’s hair.  Pain throbbed through her scalp and head. She prayed that she would lose consciousness soon.   

“I’m not a nigga, first of all.  I am a business man, but not the type you’re mistaking me for son,” the voice said, louder and clearer.

“I’m going to ask you one more time to let the girl go and go find a man to fight with,” the voice demanded of Jordan. 

“And I’m going to say this one more time.  Take yo’ square ass, bidness suit wearing, corny ass back in ya car and mind ya fuckin’ bidness…lame nigga,” Jordan spat in response.

Suddenly, a scuffle ensued.  The next thing Caralina knew, Jordan released his grasp on her hair.  She crawled on all fours trying to get away from the fight.  When she felt she was a safe distance, she turned and saw three men raining punches, kicks and stomps down on Jordan’s body.  The man who saved her allowed his goons to finish Jordan off while the leader stepped over to Caralina and extended his hand towards her.  He helped her up off the ground, her bruised, wobbly legs barely able to hold up.  He removed his silk pocket square from his suit jacket pocket and handed it to her so she could clean up her bloodied face.  Tentatively, Caralina accepted the clearly expensive piece of material.  She immediately wondered what this well dressed stranger wanted in exchange for his kindness. 

“You are too young and too beautiful to be out here like this.  My name is Jesse  Banks.  I think I can find some legal work for you to do so you don’t have to degrade yourself like this.  That piece of shit over there is not worth your life.  He clearly doesn’t care one bit about you,” Jesse said seriously, speaking to Caralina like she was his disobedient daughter.  Caralina could not stop the flow of tears from her eyes at that moment.  No one had shown an interest in her welfare before. 

“You don’t have to make a decision right now.  But after you go home and look at yourself in the mirror, you decide if it’s worth it.  Here’s my card…give me a call if you want to live a better life.” 

Jesse called her a cab, handed the driver a wad of money, and sent her home.

The next morning, Caralina dialed the number on the business car and her life had changed forever. 

                                          ***************************

“Ms. Jopline, are you okay? Do you need a glass of water?  I understand this is hard, but if you have some information that might help us, we would appreciate your cooperation,” Detective Lyder said, snapping Caralina back into the present. 

Caralina cleared her throat and looked down at those four broken nails again.  She needed a reminder of how fucked up her life was and why.  Summer needed to be put down and she was the one to do it. 

Caralina looked at Detective Lyder’s icy blue eyes and felt sure that once she gave him the information Lyder would be just the evil motherfucker to use it against Summer in the worst way. 

“Yeah, I have plenty of information,” Caralina rasped trying to find her voice.  Detective Bracken picked up his pen, his eyes trained on Caralina’s mouth.  She lowered her eyes, ashamed of what she was about to do. 

“My boyfriend recently went missing.  I think I know who killed him and why,” Caralina looked up, her eyes laden with sadness.  She swiped at her newly fallen tears and continued without thinking too much.  Memories of Scrap and the life she had fantasized about having with him propelled her story forward.  Detective Lyder scooted his chair closer while his partner Bracken scribbled wildly on a yellow legal pad.  They had been waiting for an insider like Caralina for years.  One weak link was all the detectives needed to start putting the pieces of the puzzle together.

“Go ahead,” Lyder encouraged, his foot tapping anxiously against the grey, concrete floor. 

“My boyfriend Lewis “Scrap” Parker worked for Jesse Banks and I think both of them were killed by the same person,” Caralina said, her words coming out slowly.  Both detectives were hanging on her every word, anticipation written across their faces as normal as if it was supposed to be there.

“I think the murderer is Summer Banks, his new wife.  She’s also head of JB’s drug empire…the new boss,” Caralina’s words dropped like bombs and she waited to gauge the detective’s reactions.  Detective Lyder leaned back in the chair, stretched his arms over his head and let out a long sigh

The detectives had spoken to Summer Banks at least three times after Jesse Banks’ death and she’d always been so seemingly distraught over her husband’s senseless murder.  At first Lyder listed her as a possible suspect, but when all of her alibis checked out, he’d eased up on his initial “the wife did it” theory.  Having your husband killed just minutes after the wedding ceremony was just too farfetched even for the most hardened of gold-diggers.

“So what makes you think this?” Bracken asked, looking at Lyder with raised eyebrows.  They’d been waiting months for a break in the Banks murder case, but something about this sudden gift-wrapped information didn’t seem kosher.  Something about Caralina Joplin was a bit off.  Hood girls like her didn’t just waltz into precincts ready to help the cops.  In fact, hood girls like Caralina despised cops.  Bracken leaned into the table with a serious gaze waiting for Caralina to explain. 

“Look, I have the inside scoop, okay?  It may be hard to believe that I’m here, but I just want justice for my man…that’s all.  Scrap told me that Jesse Banks, who we called JB, was suspicious about his wife’s background.  Yeah, she was my friend, but that friendship was largely forged by JB.  At first, he paid me to be her friend, believe it or not.  I can’t front though, we did become close and eventually I stopped taking money from JB to be her friend.  We were like sisters almost.  But when JB proposed to Summer….I don’t know…things changed.”

Lyder and Bracken shook their heads with feigned sympathy. 

“Well I didn’t end up with JB, but I started dealing with Scrap.  You know, it started out like your typical hood romance…with sex.  But we got close and after a while he started talking to me about stuff.  Business and personal stuff.  Scrap told me that JB had someone follow Summer and saw her meeting with some older Spanish type dude, who she paid money.  Then JB checked into his finances and saw that she was stealing some of his money.  Scrap was mad because he said JB still acted like nothing was wrong, like there must have been a good reason for her to do that. Anyways, JB never got the chance to confront her about the money or the strange man because their wedding was only a few days away when he found out.  He loved her that much, I guess.  Even though he knew something was up, he still wanted to marry her.  I swear JB changed a lot after getting with her.  Scrap always said it was like she had some kind of voodoo on JB’s ass.  For me, I was loyal to her and I planned to stick by her side always.  But after she killed Scrap…for no reason…” Caralina’s voice trailed off.  Lyder handed her a box of Kleenex.  Caralina wiped her face and exhaled. 

“I think she found out that JB was on to her game and so she set him up to get shot.  When she was in the hospital after the shooting, I asked the guys if they thought the whole shit with JB getting shot was a set up.  They all told me to shut my ass up, but the whole scene stunk to me.  Someone from the inside had to tell those shooters about the plans for that day.  The shit was like top secret from the door, so it was either her or one of the guys in the crew.  I know it wasn’t Scrap.  I also feel like she shot Scrap because he was on to her too.  She made the other guys believe he was a traitor and then…she just…she just…murdered him and left him like an animal for the Mexicans to dispose of his body,” Caralina sobbed, her body quaking as she got to the end of her statement. 

Lyder stood up first, Bracken followed. 

“We’ll be right back.  Sit tight,” Lyder huffed.  They rushed from the room without another word.  Caralina knew by their urgency that what she had told them had set things into motion. Summer’s time as boss was quickly nearing its end. 

*************************

Summer glanced at her ringing cell phone and answered in a huff.  She waved to Billy to pull over. 

“Right here?  On busy-ass Nostrand Ave?” Billy asked.  Summer shot him a look and he swerved the car to the curb. 

Summer jumped out and walked a few paces away from the car.

“Detective Bracken…yes, I can talk now,” she hurried her words.  Her body was tense with suspense. 

“Really? Oh she did, did she?” Summer responded to the detective.  Heat rose from her chest, making its way up her neck and face. 

“So how will you handle Lyder, then?  I mean he was never on JB’s payroll and of course I want to find out who killed him, but I also don’t need you all up my asses for something I clearly didn’t do.  Especially on the word of that crazy bitch,” she said.  Summer tapped her foot impatiently, her blood rushing live a rushing river. 

“You keep Lyder off my back and go try to find the real killers.  I’ll take care of Caralina and her snitching ass mouth,” Summer assured.  She disconnected the call.  She took a few deep breaths before attempting to return the car.  Summer silently thanked Jesse for being smart enough to have cops, politicians and other prominent officials on his payroll. 

Summer shook her head slightly and flexed her shoulders, trying to shed the anger boiling up inside of her.  She started towards the car feeling the heat of Billy’s gaze on her through the window.  Summer exhaled through her mouth.  This time, if Billy had questions, she wouldn’t mince her words.  Caralina’s name had just been added to Summer’s list of obstacles that needed removing.

“Change of plans,” Summer told Billy as she slid into the car.  He looked at her expectantly. 

“I need to visit a friend, so bust a U whenever you can.  She lives back that way,” Summer instructed, reaching for her gun. 

“Lina’s house?  I thought you weren’t talking to her no more?” Billy asked. 

“You haven’t learned your lesson about questioning me, yet?” Summer asked.  Billy looked over at her, gauging her expression and mood. 

“Damn…it’s that serious?” he replied.

“Worse,” Summer said, her legs shaking in anticipation.  “Much worse.”

Chapter 11 
Payback Is A Bitch

              Billy pounded on Caralina’s apartment door while Summer stood to the side.  He looked at Summer and shook his head.  Summer squinted her eyes and scowled at him, mouthing the words
keep fucking trying.
Billy pounded some more.

              “Lina, it’s Billy!  Open the door!” Billy put his face close to the crack of the door and shouted.  Still no answer.  He looked at Summer, then back at the door. 

              “Mitch wanted me to give you something that Scrap left!” Billy hollered.  Summer cracked a sly smile. 
Good thinking!

             
Caralina did not answer the door.  Billy started to get frustrated himself. 

              “Fuck this!” he wolfed.  He reared back and rammed his body into the door.  The old fashioned metal door refused to budge.  Billy was seething now, his chest rising and falling like he’d run for miles.  He reached into the back of his pants and pulled his burner, preparing to level it at the door locks. 

“No! You can’t!” Summer chastised, stepping in front of him.  “Are you fucking nuts?  This is a residential building. Gun shots will have these tenants dialing 911 so damn fast we won’t even be down the elevator before the cops get here,” she chastised.  Billy cocked his head to the side, sweat dancing down the sides of his face. He was a true down for whatever dude, but once his ON button was pushed, it was hard to turn him OFF. 

Summer had to think fast; she didn’t know how long she could keep Billy at bay.  “Just wait.  I’ll handle it.  We’ll find her,” Summer placated.  Billy lowered his gun, but he didn’t put it away.  Summer kept her body between Billy and the door.   She pulled out her cell phone and dialed 911. 

              “911…what’s your emergency?”

              “Yes, please, help me.  I’m at my best friend’s apartment and I think she’s inside, hurt or injured.  I haven’t heard from her in a few days and that’s not like her.  Please, ma’am, send someone over who can break down the door,” Summer said frantically, acting like a distraught friend.  She hurriedly gave the operator Caralina’s address as Billy stood there watching her intently. 

“Now we just wait for the golden key to invite us in,” she said, smiling with satisfaction.  “Payback is a bitch, Lina,” Summer whispered as she waited for the police and possibly paramedics to arrive.

Billy tucked his trusty 9mm back inside his waistband, out of sight. 

              “You ain’t exactly come here to see her on some ol’ friend shit for real.  Why don’t you let me take you home before the cops show up?  I’ll take care of this behind the scenes.”

              “Listen, I got this under control.  I want to look in this bitch’s eyes myself and tell her just what I think of her snitching ass.  If she’s not in there, maybe we can get inside and look for clues about where she’s staying.  If she’s there, I’ll continue to play the distraught friend until and the cops leave. You make sure to give her the signal that if she makes one false move in front of those cops…” Summer laid it all out. 

Billy nodded his agreement.  He had mad respect for Summer.  She was holding her own even more than JB would have.  Unlike JB, she didn’t mind getting her hands a little dirty. 

              The firefighters and EMTs arrived in less than five minutes.  They rushed past with a stretcher and battering ram.  Two uniformed police officers followed closely on their heels. 

              “Please hurry!  I think something has happened to her!” Summer begged for good measure. 

“Get them away from here.  We need room to get this door open,” one of the firefighters instructed.  “Everybody stand back!”

After several hits with the solid metal barrel shaped ram, the hinges and locks gave way.  Summer smirked and Billy nodded at her in admiration for coming up with the idea.  They both started towards Caralina’s doorway.

              “Ma’am, you need to stay out here until we assess the situation inside,” one of the cops instructed, ushering Summer and Billy outside. 

              “I need to know what’s going on!  That’s my best friend in there!” Summer exclaimed. 

              “I understand but…,” the officer said.  Just then, chaos erupted from inside of the apartment.  The young police officer whirled around and Summer’s eyes flew open.  Billy rushed around the firefighter at the doorway and headed straight to the scene of action. 

              “What’s happening?” Billy demanded. 

              “Stand back!  Stand back!  One female, non-responsive!” one of the EMTs called out. 

“Two of epi in a line now!” another ordered.  The first responders were running circles in the apartment. 

              “Miss!  Miss!  Can you hear me?” the EMT called out to Caralina’s lifeless body.  “She’s not breathing!” he yelled as he continue to work on her.   

“Look at all of these pill bottles!  She must have ingested a whole medicine cabinet!” a first responder observed. 

Summer broke past the police officer to get a good look at Caralina’s unconscious body splayed on her hardwood floor. 

Caralina lying on the floor in her bra and panties while the EMTs were hard at work pumping on her chest, blowing into her mouth, and sticking her with medicine filled syringes. 

“I need paddles! Charge the paddles!”

              “Is she dead?  Please tell me something!” Summer cried out, clasping her hand over her mouth, feigning distress. 

              “Get her out of here!  Now!” an EMT screamed.  Both police officers went to grab Summer’s arms. 

              “Don’t you fuckin’ touch her!” Billy spat, his chest puffed up and his jaw set. 

              “You both have to step outside! Now!” the officers insisted.

              Summer and Billy reluctantly stepped back through the doorway.  A few seconds later the EMTs rushed out with Caralina on a stretcher.  They covered her in white sheets, with only a small portion of her face peeking out. 

“Where are they taking her?” Summer screamed at the officers. 

“New York Methodist,” a firefighter replied.  “You can meet the ambulance at the hospital, but don’t get your hopes up, miss.  Your friend is in pretty bad shape.  If she makes it out of this, it would be a miracle.”

Summer closed her eyes and said a silent prayer that Caralina made it through this alive.  Summer wanted the opportunity to look in Caralina’s traitorous eyes before she snuffed the life out of them.

                                                        **********************

“Don’t hurt my mommy!  Get off of her!”  The little boy screeched, pure terror etched on his chubby face. 

“Yo, you just gonna stand there lookin’ dumb? Shut that fuckin’ kid up! Matter of fact, take him out of here while I handle this right here!  I can’t even fuckin’ think straight with all that hollering!” the leader of the two masked men growled at his accomplice.  The other man immediately went into action, scooping the writhing three-year old up like he was a stuffed animal.

“Mommy! I want my mommy!” the little boy kicked, squirmed and stretched his arms in the direction of his mother.  Even the hired thug felt sorry for the kid. 

At the sound of her son’s distress, Tanya went wild like a mother bear in the wild protecting her young from a predator.  She clawed, kicked, and writhed fiercely against the muscular man’s grip.  Her petite frame was no match for the bodybuilder biceps of her attacker. 

Tanya moaned against the leather gloved gorilla hand that covered her nose and mouth.  She tried to drop her weight in an attempt to ease out of his grasp, but that also provided futile.

“Keep still, you druggie bitch!  If you wanna save ya’self and save ya fuckin’ kid, you better keep the fuck still!” the man spat, his shitty breath hot and stale against her ear.  The mention of her baby made Tanya go still for a few minutes.  The man’s accomplice carried her son kicking and screaming towards another room in the house. 

“I want my mommy! Stop!  Mommyyyyy!”  Her son screamed until he lost his breath. 

Tanya moaned loudly.  With a gun pressed to her spine, there was not much she could do for her son right now. Tanya’s body quaked with emotion.  Her legs weakened, but her will to live and to protect her son from these goons grew by the minute.  She’d been through this same nightmare in her own childhood.  Her mother had been murdered in their house while Tanya and her baby sister hid locked in their bedroom closet.  For two days, they sat in the closet while their mother’s rotting body lay just 30 feet away.  Tanya squeezed her eyes tightly, wishing the memories of that tragedy away.  Tanya didn’t want her son to suffer like she did.  Tanya’s first foster mother’s words echoed in her head.  “Don’t nobody love a motherless child.  If you don’t got your mother’s love, you’ll never know what love truly is.” 

“Yo! Don’t hurt a hair on his fucking head…that’s still JB’s kid.  We ain’t tryna fuck this up,” the leader of the two assailants yelled out to his partner as he kept Tanya in a tight vice. 

Tanya was crying so hard she could barely catch her breath.  Every time she sucked in, she’d get a mouth and nose full of the odor of filthy, worn leather of the man’s glove. 

“Yeah, now back to you.  So, I heard when you was out on them streets mainlining you would give the best head in all of Brooklyn…even better than that bitch Superhead,” the masked assailant hissed lustfully as he held her from behind and spoke directly into her ear.  She felt his dick growing against her ass as he spoke. 

“I think before it’s all said and done I wanna experience that kind of head you was giving out back then.  Maybe if I give you what you had back then, I can get that same type of service.  Whatchu think?  I heard you used to shoot up a couple grams a day.  You had that monkey on ya back bad,” he provoked.  His own lecherous thoughts distracted him enough that he removed his gun from Tanya’s back and shoved it into the back of his pants.  He needed a free hand so he could fondle Tanya’s perfect, ample breasts.  He was already going against the specific instructions he’d been given—get in, do the deed, get the kid and scram.  He thought might as well enjoy himself a bit before getting the job done.

Tanya cried out as the man’s hands slithered like a venomous snake over her body.  He pinched her nipples and ran his tongue over her neck and ear.  Tanya felt sick to her stomach. She closed her eyes, trying to block out the sensations. 

“Dayum…you taste so good.  Hard to believe you was out there sucking dick for smack baby girl.  I guess that stint in rehab did you some good ‘cuz this body is on fuckin’ point.  Big juicy titties, tight ass…hmmm I might have to try that pussy out,” he hissed, invading her crotch with rough hands.

Tanya pleaded for him to stop but he had tuned all of her noises out. She could still hear her son crying out for her from some place in the house.  When he was a baby Tanya never let him cry.  She would hold him close until he was calm enough to be put back down.  People claimed she spoiled the boy too much but she never wanted him to feel abandoned or alone.  Now, unable to comfort him, his little cries cut through her like a million knives.  Tanya said a quick silent prayer that if God let her survive this attack she would find out who was responsible and reign sheer terror on their life. 

“A’ight, druggie whore.  We can try this the easy way or the hard way.”  The man briefly removed one his hands from her body to reach into his back pocket. Tanya saw a small window of opportunity and decided she would jump on it.  With a boost of courage that could’ve only been sent from God, Tanya lifted her foot and brought her heel down on top of the man’s foot with all of the force she had in her slim body. 

Shocked by her actions, the perverted intruder startled. Tanya took her elbow and reared it back into the man’s rib cage with so much force she felt something in her own arm pop.  That backed the man up.  Tanya used her bony elbow for one more driving stab to his midsection. 

“You bitch!” the man screamed in pain.  Tanya was able to get out of his grasp as he stumbled backwards a few steps.  She completely knocked the wind out of him.  Tanya still had some of her street fighting skills.  Thinking of her son propelled her forward. 

“Help! Help me!” Tanya screamed at the top of her lungs, running straight for her front door.  She figured if she could get one of her neighbors to hear her cries they’d at least call the police.  Right now, she needed to work on getting her son away from the other attacker. 

Tanya ran to the front door but quickly realized that deadbolt was in place. Jesse had forced her to put it on the door to keep her safe and now it was the one thing standing in the way of her freedom.  She was trapped inside. 

“Please!” she cried, still facing the door as if her cries could magically open the lock. 

“Oh you fucked up now!” the masked man barked as he took seemingly ogre like steps towards her.  “You looking for this key?  You dumb bitch!” He was on her within seconds.  Tanya felt his weight crash into her from behind.  Tanya hit the floor with so much force she saw small flashy stars squirming in the corners of her eyes.  Her will to live and her desire to save her son were stronger than any common sense reasoning.  Tanya planned to fight to the bitter end, if necessary.