Thirsty 2 (25 page)

Some of the unresolved issues with Joe and Preme came to mind. The near fight with the two of them, the murder of Dave, and the murmurings on the street kept rising that Lil’ Joe had gotten a team of young niggas who was slanging on Tuckaseegee Road also. Carlos entertained the thought for a second, but then decided not to play into that. “Nah, I know that nigga ain’t crazy,” Carlos stated aloud.

Carlos thought back to the altercation between Joe and Preme, and he had almost regretted not letting the two handle that shit right then and there.  He knew when it would’ve all been said and done, Preme would’ve been the one to emerge from the smoke still breathing. Joe talked a good one but Preme was a black-hearted killer with no conscious whatsoever. Preme had also wanted to body Joe shortly after they had bodied Dave in Opa Locka because he said he didn’t trust that nigga. Nevertheless, unlike a lot of niggas in the game, Carlos knew Joe wasn’t a snitch and Carlos didn’t see him as a problem at the time so he gave him a pass. A certificate of life so to speak. Now he had to deal with
this
shit!

Carlos scrolled for Joe’s name on his contact list and he touched the
CALL
button on the screen. After getting Lil’ Joe’s voicemail, he hung up the phone, mad as hell, but he didn’t want to let Lil’ Joe know he was pissed. He decided to call back a few minutes later, after a few rings he got the machine again, and he left a message:

 “’Sup, my nigga, this Los. Hit me when you get this message, it’s important. One.”

Carlos put the phone back in his pocket and thought it had been a minute since he and Joe had talked. He wanted to give Lil’ Joe the same opportunity that he’d given Dave; the chance to clear the air. He knew that Joe was most likely to tell the truth, and whatever that truth was Joe would hold true to it like a man. Carlos had decided he’d not accuse Lil’ Joe of anything until he had a chance to talk to the man and hear what he had to say.

CHAPTER THIRTY- FIVE

J
ustice was fucked up at the thought of losing Kanye West’s party to a rival club a few blocks from her spot. But she knew there was no way in hell that Kanye, or anyone else on that level, or even a few steps under him would be coming to Phire & Ice after Tan’s body had been discovered leaking in her parking lot.

She knew that the possibility of her murking Tan would happen, but deep down, Justice had hoped that she wouldn’t have to do it at the club—but it seemed there was no other way. Detectives had concluded that Tan’s murder had been a direct result of the altercation that had gone down inside the club between the three Spanish men. Witnesses had collaborated the fact that a fight had broken out minutes before Tan had been reportedly murdered. No one even looked in Justices direction as a suspect. Her wound was so insignificant that no one saw it. She kept it bandaged and wore shirts with sleeves until it healed. Justice felt no remorse for how she handled her business. She felt good knowing that Tan went out the same way she had sent Monk out, face down on the cold asphalt.

After a couple of weeks of waiting for the news of the shooting to die down, Phire & Ice was back in business. Justice walked past the dressing room where the girls were changing and she felt good not seeing Precious and Virgin, and not having to deal with their scandalous asses. The ladies seemed to be getting along better and being more cooperative about all the bitches making money instead of the dollars being chased by a “select few.” The dressing room and the atmosphere in the club hadn’t been this calm since before the day she made the mistake of putting them two bitches on.

“Boss lady,” Toni called out from inside the dressing room. Justice didn’t even see Toni in the room with the girls. In fact, Toni should’ve had her ass in her office making sure things were being prepared for one of the minor league baseball players, who’d agreed to host a bachelor’s party for his friend at the club. Justice knew that after the shooting she was going to have to take baby steps in order to land someone on the same level as Kanye back at the club again. Pulling off this bachelor’s party without a hitch was a first step in the right direction. “Boss lady!” Toni yelled again, interrupting her thoughts.

“Damn girl, I heard you the first time.”

Justice saw Toni was wearing a pinstriped black vest and blue silk tie with matching slacks and some heels. Her newly dyed sandy-brown locs had been pulled back into a ponytail that she loved to whip around like a white girl. “Anyway, boss lady, I just wanted to get up with you to say thank you for the opportunity.”

Justice hugged Toni from the side. She understood what it meant to be a black woman giving another sistah a chance to shine, and though that was not the intention, she was happy to give the girl an opportunity many had to fight for. “You don’t have to do all that. All you’ve got to do is make sure the club stays packed. Continue to network with the dancers and the promoters to keep the bitches interested in dancing in the joint because flying them here ain’t gonna make them dance. They have to see the potential of them doubling or tripling what you are paying to bring them here.”

Toni took notes in her mind. She had a level of respect for Justice being a woman of color in a predominantly male world. The fact that Justice could wheel and deal with the best of them was a plus. Her years of being in the streets, as well as being affiliated with niggas like Carlos and J.T. had served its purpose and prepared her well as she dealt with the men who handled most of the strippers and other issues that came with running this business.

“And when a bitch get outta line, you nip that shit in the bud the moment it becomes a problem. That way, the other bitches will stay in line and know not to try their luck.”

In reality, Justice shouldn’t have had to tell her that, but she knew there were distinct differences between herself and Toni. Justice was a street bitch; she knew how to get down for hers whether it be setting a nigga up to be robbed or finessing a nigga out of his wallet. Toni didn’t like niggas like that, and she’d also had a sheltered upbringing—she’d hardly gotten into trouble in school because she knew her parents would kick her ass. She graduated from college and held down legit jobs damn near all of her life. In addition, at heart, she could never be a street bitch. Therefore, Justice knew she could trust Toni long enough to make their partnership work, and she was willing to give Toni room to grow to be her own boss. Furthermore, Justice was secure with the thought that she would be coming back to Chi-Town often, so nothing would get so far out of hand that she couldn’t handle.

After killing Tan, Justice had decided that it would be safe for her to return to Charlotte on a more permanent basis. With no one chasing her or having a reason to, there was nothing keeping her from enjoying the familiar stomping grounds as she had years before. She and Carlos were rekindling their romance, and she felt at ease being in his presence. Justice wanted to see how far she and Carlos could go
.
He had invited her to stay with him in his new house with no pressure at all. However, the way Justice was starting to feel, a little pressure might have ended up turning her on. The fact that he helped set Tan up ultimately erased any doubt about how sincere he was in his apologies for how everything had gone down with Monk and D. C.

The idea of hanging out with Sapphire whenever she wanted to without having to catch a flight appealed to her as well. It had been a minute since she and her girl made some bitches envious at a club, and now that Sapphire was back to her old self, it was time to get out and do their thing.

“Everything is set up for the girls coming from D. C.—they should be arriving in the next thirty minutes or so,” Toni said as she followed Justice out of the dressing room and back to the office.

“That’s what’s up. I’mma be in my office for a few minutes and you make sure they are taken care of.”

Toni nodded her head and then went to the back entrance the girls used when they were arriving to perform at Phire & Ice. Justice couldn’t wait to get to the Queen City and get shit popping. It was the end of February and almost time for CIAA! Not only were some of the best black college basketball teams competing for the championships, there were step shows, concerts and mad parties. Not to mention networking opportunities to meet new dancers and most importantly, celebrities she could host parties for at her club. It didn’t matter whether you went to one of the schools in the CIAA conference or not, when the championships were in town, it was time to unwind and get your party on.  She was looking to take a break and couldn’t think of any other place she’d rather be.

CHAPTER THIRTY-SIX

Lil’ Joe was pissing Carlos off and he was getting closer and closer to making Carlos send Preme to see his ass. Carlos was so vexed he wanted to pull the trigger himself. He had tried for the fifth time after moving all of his furniture into his new house to get in contact with Joe, but the man was ghost. All the calls were going straight to voice mail. Carlos had hoped that Joe hadn’t gotten picked up, but that would have been the first thing a nigga would have heard if it was true. Niggas would have immediately put that on the wire. And there weren’t any rumors that the nigga was dead either.

What the fuck?
Carlos looked at his phone with Joe’s number on the screen and he couldn’t figure out why the man wasn’t answering.

Carlos scrolled down and found Sapphire’s number. He had almost forgotten that
he
was the reason the two of them had started fucking on a regular. Sapphire had proven her loyalty to him, and he figured he could count on her. He figured if anyone knew where this nigga was at it would be her.

After listening to J. Cole spit some lyrics on Sapphire’s ring back tone, Sapphire picked up the phone. “Hey, big bruh.”

“’Sup sis, how you?”

“I’m good. Justice is coming back and a bitch excited as hell. I’m tryna figure out what I’mma wear to that day party at Prevue.”

“See, ya’ already tryna to cause trouble,” he teased. “Listen, you seen Joe?” Carlos got straight to the point. He would call Sapphire socially at another time, but for the moment he needed to handle his business.

“No—he left for Philly to take care of some medical emergency that came up with his son,” Sapphire spoke as if it were common knowledge. “His baby mama called two weeks ago, and Joe literally dropped me off at my place and told me he’d be back in a few weeks.”

Son?
Carlos thought to himself as he tried to remember Joe’s family tree.
I didn’t know the nigga had a son. Damn, I’m fuckin’ up.
“Aiight, when you talk to that nigga, tell him to contact me ASAP. I really need to see him. Give him the address to my new spot and tell him to come through.”

“No problem.”

“And I hope ain’t nothing wrong with the little man.” Carlos tried to sound caring. He didn’t want to seem completely heartless—children were innocent no matter whose seed they came from. Plus, he wanted to stay on Sapphire’s good side.

“Okay. As soon as I hear from him, I’ll definitely tell him to hit you up.”

“Good look. Peace.”

Carlos ended the call and the thought that Joe had a seed fucked with him. That was another thing the big house was missing . . . Justice and a few kids that came from his spawning. Carlos almost could not believe he’d gotten so far in the game without a baby mama or two. Face, Preme, and Ali all had kids. Even Dave had left two little girls fatherless. For a minute, the fact that he did not have any kids had him feeling some kind of way.

 Fuck it. I still got time. I’m still young.
He looked out the window and imagined Justice walking in the front door with a couple of little ones harassing her at her side. He smiled knowing that in the many days ahead, his vision could become a reality.

***

Justice had arrived and Carlos was beyond ecstactic. The house was ready and all the furniture had been moved in. When he saw Justice’s reaction after arriving to the house from the airport, Carlos knew that all the frustrations and headaches with the builders, inspectors and everyone else had been worth it.

Within an hour of being situated and enjoying a light meal, Carlos and Justice wasted no time christening the place as they got it in from wall to wall. The sexual frustration between the two was at a fever pitch and with all of the murder, deceit and greed they faced day in and day out, they both had some pent up frustration to release.

When morning arrived, Carlos greeted Justice with breakfast in bed. Very few people knew he could burn in the kitchen. The aroma from the chicken and vegetable omelet and buttered toast helped Justice gather her senses as she sat up in bed. One of Carlos’ old Carolina Panthers T-shirts covered her nude frame. She admired the way the gray wife beater fit snuggly on Carlos’s chest and the cotton pajama pants highlighted all of the parts she liked.

“Wow! Carlos—I never—” Justice responded in shock. She could not believe that Carlos stood before her with a tray of food for her to eat in which he had prepared.

“Kinda figured you hadn’t,” Carlos smirked as he placed the folding tray at her waist. Justice dug into her food and when she realized that Carlos didn’t have a plate, she swallowed the bite of omelet quickly, “you not eatin’?”

“Naw, I just fixed enough for you. I’ll be eating later on.” He snaked his hand beneath the t-shirt and stroked her hairless vagina for a second while biting his lip and staring into her eyes. Justice’s body tingled as she very well understood what he was referring to eating later. He pulled his hand away and tasted her juices. “Lemme stop,” he smirked. “Go ahead and enjoy your breakfast, babe,” he said as he stood to leave the room.

Justice watched this thugged out gentleman exit the room and her stomach fluttered with butterflies of passion. “Damn, I missed that nigga,” she mumbled before digging back into the food before her. As she savored the taste, she knew in her heart she could get used to this. No man had ever cooked her breakfast in bed before nor treated her like a lady in the manner that Carlos had done. In fact, Carlos, in a short period of time had demonstrated the true balance of being a gangsta and a gentleman and this was something that Justice could come to appreciate.