Trapstar 3 (15 page)

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Selena swayed back and forth on her stool to the music she had selected from the Juke Box in the corner of the bar. One shot glass and a bottle of Patron sat in front of her, and after throwing back three shots of the clear fire water, she was beginning to feel its effects. Tina, the bartender, and good friend of the family, monitored Selena’s drinking very closely and knew that within two more shots, she would have to come over and confiscate the bottle from her. She had heard through the grapevine about her cousin, Chatima, so she gave her a little space to unwind.

“Are you alright, baby girl?” Tina asked, checking up on her. “You know if you need to talk to somebody, I am right here.”

“Yeah, I’m good. Just don’t take my bottle.” Selena chuckled, wrapping both hands around the bottle of Patron and hugging it like it was her best friend.

Tina smiled and then walked over to attend to one of her other customers. Selena looked at herself in the mirror behind the bar and couldn’t help but to think about her little cousin. The liquor played a major part in her thought process right now, so it was no surprise that she went back to some of her old childhood memories when they were just some innocent little girls. She thought about the times when they used to play jump rope with the other girls on the block, and how being her big cousin meant she had to protect her. Those were the happier times in her life that she wanted so desperately to go back to. Now she was faced with the task of calling back to her aunt Shirley and giving her the news of her only child’s death. A death that she was responsible for. One that Brianna was even more responsible for. Why hadn’t Brianna already killed Herman? Maybe she was becoming soft, like Gwen had said. Shit, her weakness had cost her cousin her life…

Selena could slightly hear her phone ringing in her bag as the song on the jukebox was going off. She reached inside and pulled out the iPhone to see that it was Brianna calling her. Just like all day yesterday, she didn’t answer it. Instead, this time she turned her phone off altogether. She really didn’t feel like being bothered by nobody right now.

“Damn, I see you got some shit on ya mind to,” a voice said from behind.

Selena looked up in the mirror and could see the reflection of a familiar face looking back at her. She looked to see Gwen, who pulled out a stool and took a seat in it.
Damn, did I just think her up?
Selena thought to herself.

“Yeah, it’s always some shit.” Selena responded.

“Tina… get me another shot glass and a few slices of lemon,” Gwen instructed.

“You know Tina?” Selena asked, checking Gwen out.

“Of course I know Tina. From the way she got her eyes on you, it looks like you were about one shot away from her taking that bottle away from you.” Gwen smiled.

“Me and Tina gonna be fighting up in here if she thinks that she is taking this bottle from me.”

They shared a laugh at the thought. Tina walked over and put the shot glass on the table in front of Gwen, smiling at Selena’s comment that she overheard.

“Shit, I just lost a good friend, so I know how you feel. But let me ask you something… Why is Brianna tripping about a sister trying to come up and handle her business?” Gwen asked, pouring a shot into her glass.

Selena had to think about the question. After pondering it for a moment, she came up with the only answer that was feasible.

“Gwen, you got to be honest, she introduces you to her connect to help you out and then you back door her? Come on, you know that ain’t right, and Brianna hardly likes anybody. She lives in her own world, so if she feels like she’s not in control of a situation, she will shut you down in a New York minute.” Selena said, tossing back her fourth shot. “What about you? What’s your angle?”

“I really don’t have an angle, except one, and that’s FAMILY! Nothing and no one can come between or before that… you feel me? So no matter how much I like and appreciate what she did for me in my time of need, I can’t use that has an excuse when it comes to doing what’s best for my family first. Also, I just feel like us being women, we should be able to understand that and stick together. God knows that I am not anti-men, but I think we hold more power if we work as one unit,” Gwen said, throwing back her second shot. “That’s all that I was trying to explain to your people.”

“Well, I think that you turned her off when you said that you run this city. Don’t nobody run Brianna,” Selena shot back.

“Well, what about you? What do you think?” Gwen asked.

“Well… I think that I had too much to drink because I am doing a little too much talking.” Selena chuckled. She didn’t want to tell her what she was really thinking. How she loved the love that Gwen had for family and how Gwen was willing to break any ties to make sure she put family first. Maybe if Brianna had those leadership qualities, Chatima would still be alive.

Both women sat there in silence for a minute. Tina kept a close eye on Selena’s intake. When she went to pour another shot, Tina walked over and grabbed the bottle.

“That’s five, baby girl. I gotta call you a cab,” Tina said, walking over to the phone.

“No, no, it’s cool, Tina,” Gwen said, waving her hand. “She’s cool. I will make sure to get her home safe.” Gwen assured.

Tina didn’t put up a fight. She knew that if Gwen said that she had her, then it was no doubt in her mind that Selena would be safe with her.

“How about it? You wanna take a ride with me?” Gwen asked, leaning over and nudging Selena.

“It sounds like I’ma regret it in the morning,” Selena responded with a bit of slurred speech.

“Or, it might be the best thing that ever happened to you,” Gwen shot back, standing up off her stool.

Drunk, but still aware of what was going on, Selena rose to her feet as well. She didn’t feel a sense of a threat coming from Gwen, and at the same time, she was a bit curious to know exactly what Gwen was up to. In the event that Gwen did get stupid in the course of the night, Selena knew that her trusty sidekick sitting in her back would definitely see to it that a safe exit would be granted, no matter where she was. It was times like this that Selena appreciated keeping her gun on her.

Brianna pulled up to Jonathan’s house. She sighed as she thought of how she was going to break the news of Chatima’s death to Kasy. She had texted him last night, but he didn’t answer until this morning. She walked down the sidewalk to the front door. Taking a deep breath, she rang the doorbell.

“Hey, big sis!” Jonathan said as he hugged her.

Brianna smiled at Jonathan. Even though he had grown up, she still saw him as her baby brother who would follow her around the house, and play hide and seek.

“Hey handsome, how are you doing?” Brianna said as she placed her bag on the couch. “Damn, who in here cooking? I heard you got some old broad shacking up with you. Do I finally get to meet her today?” Brianna said as she followed him into the kitchen.

“Not today, but in due time, sis, in due time,” Jonathan responded.

A.J. was sitting at the table with his head down. “What’s wrong with A.J.?” Brianna asked Jonathan.

Jonathan laughed and pointed to the empty bottle of gin on the counter.

Brianna shook her head and thumped A.J. on the back of the neck. “Wake your punk ass up, light weight.”

“Ahh, Bri, damn… my head already ringing.” Brianna and Jonathan laughed.

Kasy was taking biscuits out of the oven and spraying butter on top of them. “What up Bri? Sit down and I will fix you a plate.”

Brianna smiled and took a seat. She poured herself a glass of orange juice and checked her text messages. Kasy placed a plate in front of her and Jonathan. He grabbed the two other plates and sat down at the table.

“So, what’s up, Bri? You said you wanted to talk to me about something.”

“Yeah, let’s eat first.” Brianna said.

Kasy bowed his head and blessed the table. Jonathan and Kasy talked about the game. Brianna smiled and listened to their chatter as A.J. snored at the table.

“Look at this nigga.” Kasy said, poking A.J. with his fork.

A.J. stood suddenly and ran to the bathroom.

“Eww… I’m glad he waited until we finished eating before hurling.” Brianna said as she cleared the table and placed the dishes in the dishwasher. She stared out the window for a moment and then turned to look at Kasy and Jonathan.

“Aight guys… I have some bad news… Kasy,” Brianna said as she walked over to the table. “Yesterday, me and Selena was out making some runs for some product for one of the trap houses. Well, we left Chatima at the house, and somehow Herman ambushed her…She was killed.” Brianna squeezed the last part of her statement out as tears rolled down her face.

Kasy stared at her for a moment. Brianna held his hand, and pulled him close to her. His body was stiff and he did not make a sound.

“What you mean Herman killed her? Why, why would he do that, Brianna?” Jonathan asked.

Brianna sat down at the table.

A.J. stumbled out of the bathroom, and fell into one of the chairs.

“Why y’all looking like someone died?” A.J. said as he sipped some water.

“Chatima is dead, A.J.” Jonathan said.

“What?” A.J. responded. “What? How?”

“Herman stabbed her to death.” Brianna said looking at Kasy who had not said a word. “He must have followed her into the house, and waited for her to open the stash room.”

“Herman did that? Why would he do something like that?”

“He is fucking bastard, man.” Jonathan said as he stood. “A bastard that should be taking an eternal nap in the dirt.”

“How you know it was Herman, Bri?” Kasy said through clenched teeth.

“He called me. He wants me to pay him a million dollars.”

“For what?” Jonathan asked.

Brianna sighed and filled the three of them in on what Herman was using to blackmail her. The room was quiet when she finished telling them the details. Jonathan knew that Herman was the reason Charrise had been kidnapped. Now he had actually tried to kill Brianna, blackmailed her, and had murdered Chatima. Jonathan walked into the living room and grabbed his automatic.

“What the hell are you doing?” Brianna asked as she looked at him holding the gun. “What are you doing with that, Jonathan?”

“Somebody gotta handle Herman, Brianna… this nigga is out of control!”

“I said what are you doing with a gun, Jonathan?” Brianna asked again. She had no idea that her baby brother had turned into a ruthless murder and stick-up boy.

“Bri, I’ma go handle this dude.”

Brianna stared at her brother holding the glock. How had this happened? When did this happen? This was her baby brother, a college kid. He was not this person she was staring at in front of her. Everyone stood silently in the living room. Jonathan dropped his head to avoid Brianna’s eyes. He looked at A.J. who had sobered up.

“Y’all betta get to talking and I mean right now!” Brianna hadn’t questioned why Kasy was at the house. He was cool with her family, but now that she thought about it, why the hell was he hanging out at Jonathan’s?

A.J. cleared his throat and walked towards the front door. When he opened the door and walked outside, bullets zinged, and he fell back on the threshold. Bullets flew through the windows of the house.

Kasy pushed Brianna to the floor and grabbed the assault rifle that was under the couch. Bullets assaulted the house, causing glass to rain down on them.

Jonathan began firing back.

Brianna watched in amazement as her baby brother handled himself like a fucking soldier. Brianna grabbed her bag off the couch, took out her glock, and began firing through the window. She looked over at A.J. who laid half way in the house and out. “Who the fuck is shooting at you?”

Kasy crawled to the kitchen. He returned and threw an AR 16 to Jonathan. He began spraying. Brianna’s car was being shredded by the gunfire, but that wasn’t her concern at the moment. Brianna tried to see where the gunfire was coming from. She could see a black van, and a female firing shots into the house. Kasy had made his way into the master bedroom. Brianna saw a flash coming from the right side of the house and the female screamed as a bullet ripped through some part of her. Another female pulled her back inside the van and the van peeled off down the street.

Jonathan jumped up and stepped over A.J., and continued firing at the van as it sped off. Brianna crawled over to A.J., his chest rattled as he took a breath.

“Hey, no, A.J.! No, hold on! Baby, hold on!”

The sirens were approaching. Jonathan ran back towards the house. Blood ran down the side of A.J.’s mouth, and his body began to convulse.

“No brah… No! Hold on, man!” A.J.’s eyes turned to Jonathan, and that’s where they stayed.

Jonathan screamed as he pulled A.J. into his arms. “No man… no, you can’t leave me too! Come on man, wake up please! Please man!” Brianna’s heart ached as she watched Jonathan shake A.J., and then rock back and forward with him in his arms.

Kasy grabbed the assault rifle from beside Jonathan and ran to the back of the house, just as the police pulled up in front of the home.

Brianna had no idea who the females were that shot up the house and had killed A.J., but she knew whoever it was would be dead very soon.

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Selena walked out onto the balcony overlooking the city. The view was crazy from the 39th floor of the Arlington Condos. The interior design of the condo was modern and sexy. It had three large bedrooms, plus two and half baths. Each room had a view of Charlotte’s skyline, and it had a balcony large enough to entertain fifteen to twenty people comfortably.

“You know, you can stay here as long as you want.” Gwen said, as she walked out onto the terrace with Selena.

Selena smiled at Gwen. Over the last few days, the women had confided in each other. Selena had told Gwen about the death of her baby cousin. Gwen’s heart ached as Selena talked, because she could feel her pain. She thanked her again for all her help and sympathy during the Zion situation. The women cried and leaned on each other. Although they had not known each other long, something between them had clicked. A stronger bond was formed.