Lost Boy, page 31
“Fuck that, Hulie! Fuck what you made a muthafucka do...fuck all that shit! You killed, Dondi! She ain’t have hit to do wit’ nuthin!”
Hulie turned to him. “That two-bit...hoe...she wasn’t shit to me!”
Tears ran down Jabari’s face now, he was pissed. He held his anger back, with a little help from the gun Hulie had in his hand.
“Just like Rip...like T-Black...everyone that you can’t...maneuver around! Fuck it just kill ‘em, huh? Well, I’m tired of it all...running...drugs...I’m fuckin’ tired! Do what you want.” Jabari fell to his knees and put up his hands. “Come on, muthafucka...do it!”
Hulie walked over and put the gun up to his head. “Least I know you won’t snitch...”
“Hulie!”
He spun around, it was Sunshine. She had a gun in her hand, too and it was aimed right at him. “Put the fuckin’ gun down,” she ordered.
Hulie didn’t bat an eye. “Look...this muthafucka tried to rob me.”
“So...you just kill everyone that crosses you, huh? Well, you’ve killed enough people already. It’s gotta stop!”
“Oh, so now, you want it to stop? You don’t want no dope money no more? You don’t want no more muthafuckas to set up...extort muthafuckas, so they pay you not to go to jail?”
“Hulie! Shut the fuck up, lease I ain’t no murderer!”
“No murderer? Every muthafucka I killed was because of you. You just as guilty as me.” He pulled the gun back and lowered it to his side. “Not unless you want to tell that to your people...or what?”
Sunshine kept the gun aimed at him, he was right. She was in deep. Hulie could easily fuck her all the way up and so could Jabari. She had to make a move. Hulie was the only one with the gun and now he had it lowered. Jabari didn’t have shit. She could easily shoot them both and come up with the Okie-doke, bullshit that they had kidnapped her or something.
“Yeah.” She grinned, she’d make it stick. “Just throw the gun on the ground, Hulie...right now!”
Hulie knew what it was, he did that math too. He fucked up and already had his gun lowered. If he pulled up or even flinched slightly, she’d definitely shoot. He had to work his way out of this one, slowly.
“Look...baby, why we acting like this toward each other? This cat here knows where the money’s at. All we gotta do is go get it and still split it. Whatta ya say?”
“This is crazy,” Jabari grumbled to himself. Hulie was standing right next to him, ready to kill him, and that crazy ass chick wanted to kill them both. “Damn this fucked up!”
He finally could put Sunshine to the name on the card Hulie had given him. She was the broad T-Black had mentioned before he died, or at least before Hulie killed him. The money, hell, Jabari couldn’t believe Hulie was still looking for that shit, after all this time. Jabari thought about telling something, but honestly, he really didn’t know anything.
“I gotta do something,” he coached himself silently. He really didn’t have nothing to lose anyway. He had to know why they were trying to kill him. Especially when he didn’t have shit to do with any of this. “Hey, aren’t you the chick T-Black wanted to give the money too?” Sunshine’s head twisted in Jabari’s direction as she focused in on what he was talking about. Jabari had her ear, so he continued. “That night, he said he had some money for you. Said Hulie gave it to him, said he tried to flip it...”
Hulie put the gun back up to Jabari’s head. “Shut up!” he yelled. Then looked back over at Sunshine. “He don’t know what he’s talking about.”
Sunshine kept the gun up, but it was starting to become heavy. She also needed to do something. She wanted to know what happened with the money, too.
“Hulie, ain’t gonna say it no more, drop the gun!” Sunshine twisted her head slowly back toward him and took aim.
Hulie noticed she wasn’t bullshitting so he kneeled down and laid the gun in front of him. Not too far, he figured he might still need it, and wanted a chance to get at it.
“Okay, okay...calm down.”
“What’s he talking about?” Sunshine asked.
“Hell, I don’t know, some dumb shit,” Hulie lied. “Why you listening to him?”
“He was supposed to flip the money with that dude, T-Black. Then get a cut, he was gonna tell you it got stolen and keep the money and shit you out of the rest. That’s why he killed, T-Black. To make it look like he was trying to rob him,” Jabari blurted out what he knew.
“Shut the fuck up. You don’t know what you’re talking about!” Hulie looked at Sunshine and said, “Dude was supposed to flip the money, granted but it wasn’t my idea. That goddamned Diplite said he knew what to do. I wasn’t gonna shit you out of nothing. Hell, he was trying to shit me!”
“No, he wasn’t! He had your card, he would have called you. All he wanted...”
Hulie backhanded Jabari and he fell back against the wall and he shouted at him. “Didn’t I tell you to shut up!”
“Naw, muthafucka!” Jabari was definitely feeling some sort of way now. Hulie was going down. “It’s too late for that! You killed Rip...Dondi, now you want to kill me! You even got bodies out in the country...Walterboro! You ain’t no hustla, you ain’t nothing but a two-bit thug.”
Sunshine back up a little-ways leaning against a wall. Somehow, Jabari had to work her. “Again...where’s the fuckin’ money?” she asked as she mean mugged Hulie, then turned toward Jabari. “You, I don’t know your name. Finish what you were saying.”
“Name’s Jabari.”
“Hold up...Tangie’s brother?”
“Yeah.”
“Ain’t this a muthafucka. Okay...okay, so what happened?”
Jabari stood up and eased away from Hulie. “I was with him that night. He told me and Rip that we were just supposed to put the tim down on a dude and get paid. He didn’t say how much until after he killed ole...dude and went after his mother. Tried to burn us both up.”
“I remember that...damn, Hulie, why didn’t you just come clean with me? It was only about what...fifteen grand? That’s ain’t enough money for all these bodies...”
“Fifteen grand!” Jabari screamed. “How about ninety fuckin’ grand and what...twelve keys.”
Sunshine looked at Jabari like he was crazy. She was shocked, her eyes opened wide and she stammered, “Ninety...ninety grand!” she looked back at Hulie with enough venom in her eyes to kill. “You muthafucka...no wonder. So, what was you gonna do...kill me, too? No better yet...I’m gonna ask you one more time, or I’m gonna shoot you right where you stand! Where’s the goddamned money?”
“Me...nah got da money!”
I was like, what the fuck? It was like a ghost or something, I hadn’t seen her since that night. Wow, she still looked sexy as all hell...posted up with a shotgun in her hand long hair brushed back in a ponytail and a bowlegged stance that made her look like a fuckin’ Chucktown Foxy Brown. She aimed the gun over at Hulie. “Why hem look so shocked, huh? Ain’t ‘spect to see me nah, boy...hem look lost, huh?”
Hulie was really having a bad day but fuck him; these two chicks wanted to off him because of all the dirt he did to them. “
“Who the fuck is this? What the fuck is going on?” Jabari asked no one in particular.
“Look like he’s about to piss on himself.”
‘More pussy...I never seen her before, hell, she’s fine, too. Damn, Hulie how many enemies you got?’ Jabari thought.
Hulie stared down the barrel of a shotgun and just smirked like he wasn’t the least bit fazed.
“You just threw my brother in the yard like he was a piece of trash...after all, he did for you?” Cleo yelled.
He stood up straight and looked around at all three of them. Guns were pointed from every direction. After checking out the situation, he turned Jabari’s way and snickered.
“Fuckin’ women...can’t live with them...and you can’t live without them,” Hulie said.
Jabari was thinking Hulie was a trip, but one thing about him, though. He was cool as all fuckin’ outdoors. His composure itself was large enough so that it keeps them at bay. Not knowing what he was capable of, threw them and pretty much everyone who fucked with him, even Jabari. Hulie knew that and worked it to his advantage.
“So...what is this? Kill Hulie, day or something?” He laughed out loud as he looked over at Cleo. “Your brother told me to drop him off, he didn’t say how, though.”
“So, fuck it, you throw him out of a moving truck,” she shot back.
“Look...” He pointed at her. “...I’ll deal with your dumb ass later. You see, I talked to your brother about y’all stealing my shit. Ain’t cool with that at all! By the way, he handled your little, uh...what he say his name was, Jesse? Yeah, that’s it, your Jesse problem. You remember him, right...your cousin...from outta town?” He started laughing. “Your brother just sent him home...oh shit, home...I like that!”
Cleo’s mouth dropped open. ‘Damn,’ she thought. ‘He knows!’
She faded back behind Nikki and shut the fuck up.
Jabari looked closer and it almost seemed like her bottom lip was quivering. Hulie had one less problem to deal with now.
Next was Nikki. “And you...you finally came out into the light, huh?” Hulie said looking over at Sunshine. “I suppose you can ask her about...the money!”
Sunshine looked at her with all the attitude she could muster. She even had the nerve to cock her hip as much as she could with one hand and the other hand still gripping the gun.
“Who her...who the hell is she?” Sunshine asked looking over at Nikki and rolled her eyes. “Need to take her fish-eating ass back downtown or something.” Sunshine giggled. “Know what I mean, Cleo?”
Cleo wasn’t trying to say shit, matter of fact, she backed away a little from her. Nikki looked at Sunshine like she’d just fucked up and from the look on her face, she did. Hulie glanced Jabari’s way and winked, it was on.
“What? Nah, me kna know yuh don say I tink you, fa say.” Nikki said.
“Me-nah...what!” Sunshine repeated. Look, sweetie, how ‘bout you back the fuck up and walk on out the door and make sure no one comes in, okay?” Sunshine turned back toward Hulie. “Now, what that cunt got to do with anything...”
It was quick and vicious, Nikki had taken the butt of the gun and chopped Sunshine upside her head, dropping her right where she stood. She bent over her and casually picked up the gun she’d dropped, then put it to her head. “Now...uh, what yu say again?” Nikki asked.
Sunshine was still dazed as she looked up at her. She was on her knees helpless trying to regain her senses. When Cleo ran over to her and helped her up. “You alright...you don’t want to fuck with her, trust me,” Cleo warned.
“Oh, hell no!” Sunshine screamed. “I’m gonna kick that bitch’s ass!”
Nikki pointed the shotgun at her. “Look, yah...tis ain’t your fight nah. My beef ain’t wit’ you...so g’won nah.”
Sunshine wiped the blood off the side of her mouth and groaned when she felt the knot upside her head. Jabari looked and it was easily the size of a fuckin’ handball. It was also all red...blue and shit. Jabari frowned and Sunshine must have seen it because it made her hot.
“You put the gun down and I’ll kick your black, ugly ass, bitch!”
“Yu got one lass time to call me butch, huh.” Nikki lowered the gun down a bit, then squared up. “One lass time...”
Sunshine put up her fist. “Fuck you...and the word is...bitch!”
Nikki tossed the gun behind her toward Cleo and said, “Keep yah eye on hem...hear?”
Cleo picked the gun up and nodded. Then Nikki placed the shotgun against the door and started peeling off her jacket. Sunshine did the same. Jabari couldn’t believe how in shape and fine Sunshine and Nikki were.
Nikki put up her fist too. “Come yer,” she said.
Sunshine was on some old Karate shit. She got in one of those stances and did a Matrix type of thing, then prompted Nikki with her hand.
“No...you come...” Sunshine said.
Nikki moved in with the jab, it looked until she missed with the left. Sunshine moved out of the way, then spun around and came back around off a spin into a roundhouse kick. She caught Nikki dead in the gut. Nikki fell back against the wall and grunted, it looked like the fight was about to be taken out of her.
Hulie started clowning. “Damn...know that hurt.”
Sunshine ran at Nikki with another kick and Nikki sidestepped her, then came up with a right hook that caught Sunshine square in the jaw. Sunshine staggered, her shit swelled up again. Nikki took full advantage of the way her legs wobbled and stung her two times in the eye. It closed quickly, that’s all it took, and Nikki was on her toes dancing like she was fucking Ali or something.
Jabari tried to keep his cool, but he couldn’t help himself. “Damn girl,” he said quietly.
It wasn’t quiet enough because Sunshine heard him and charged at Nikki with all she had. They clinched up and started wrestling. Shirts were ripped and titties were all over the place. This was the best-goddamned fight Jabari had seen in years. Nikki grabbed Sunshine by the hair and flipped her over onto her back to the ground, she kept pulling until she handful of red hair. Jabari knew that shit had to hurt because it hurt him just to watch. Sunshine retaliated by grabbing on to Nikki’s leg and biting down until blood gushed out between her teeth. Nikki screamed out in pain like a muthafucka.
Jabari and Hulie didn’t do shit. What could they do? Jabari was inching toward Cleo who wasn’t paying him any mind. He saw Hulie’s eyes focus on the shotgun. He couldn’t let it go down like that. So, he ran over toward Hulie and lunged at him. Hulie tried shaking Jabari off his back and Jabari started beating the back of Hulie’s head with his fists. Cleo looked over and ran toward them. Jabari thought she gonna help him out, but she took the gun and knocked Jabari upside the head.
“Dumbass...hoe!” Jabari yelled out.
Hulie finally grabbed the shotgun and pointed toward the two women, who were scuffling on the ground.
“Okay...enough!” Hulie yelled.
Both women, Jabari was still rubbing his head from the pain. Hulie pointed toward Cleo. “Thanks, baby!” She smiled and he smiled back her, then out of the blue, he shot her. “That’s for robbin’ my shit.”
Cleo’s eyes were as big as quarters as she held her stomach and slowly fell to the ground. Nikki ran over to her, then looked up at Hulie.
“Why you done dat, boy?”
“Fuck that bitch, her and her brother was gonna try me again...kill me this time. Yeah, that’s what they planned. I didn’t tell her, though, that I tortured his soft ass before I kicked him out. He told me everything.”
Nikki shook her head then looked over at Sunshine who spotted the gun laying on the ground like she was gonna try and make a move.
Nikki turned to her and said, “Yu wan da money, I’ll git it fa yu!”
Hulie smiled at her. “Now...that wasn’t hard now was it?” He walked over toward where the gun laid and kicked it away from Sunshine, then pointed the shotgun at her head. “Damn...she just saved your life.” He looked over at Nikki. “You’ve got ten minutes to get back with the money.”
“Ten minutes...what?” Sunshine screamed.
Hulie smacked her. “I suggest you get up and haul ass before I change my mind!” he barked at Sunshine, then turned back to Nikki. “Nine minutes and forty-three seconds...” He started counting down. “Forty-two...forty-one...”
Nikki turned toward Sunshine. “Take yah coat and put it to her stomach...stop da blood. I’ll be back!”
“And remember...you better come back...alone, or I’ll kill all of them!”
Nikki got to her feet as fast as she could, turned towards Jabari, then looked back at Sunshine shaking her head. Jabari could tell by the way she looked, that she knew she had a choice in the matter. She could easily say fuck it and let Hulie kill them like dogs and walk away. Especially, after all, that was done to her, but for some reason, she wasn’t built like that. Deep down she was good peeps. She’d just been dealt some fucked up cards. Jabari could kinda relate to that, but today...right now, was her moment.
She wiped her face off and limped out of the door. Hulie looked over at Jabari and told him to move closer toward Sunshine and Cleo. Sunshine had her blouse over Cleo’s stomach trying to stop as much blood as she could.
She looked up at Hulie. “You gonna pay for this!” she said bitterly.
Hulie laughed. “Yeah...yeah...maybe one day, but just not today. Today...I’ma get paid!”
Tears ran down Sunshine’s eyes as she stared at Hulie. She knew he was gonna kill her, he had to, and a part of her whipped up on herself for not killing him first, instead of playing around. She knew entirely too much, and he was never gonna let her get any of the money, anyway. It was all game but fuck it, she’d played it, too. This time there was nothing she could do. Jabari could see the pain in her eyes, it looked so familiar. Jabari moved slowly over toward her and put some pressure on Cleo’s wound. He pulled her hand away gently giving her a break.
“It’s gonna be alright...don’t look like it, but, it will,” he told Sunshine.
Sunshine just looked at Jabari and smiled, then said, “Tangie...she is just as good...okay.”
“Just as good?”
Sunshine rubbed the side of Jabari’s face and smiled. “Y’all look so much alike. Baby, she’ll know what it means.”
Jabari knew that Sunshine was gonna try and go out with a bang. What it was though, he didn’t have a clue. Truthfully as he looked over at Hulie, he wasn’t mad at her.
****
It had seemed forever to Jabari, the longest fuckin’ eight minutes that he’d ever experienced in his life. Beads of sweat popped on Jabari’s forehead as Hulie kept checking his watch, announcing the time.
“One minute and fifty seconds...left.” Hulie played with the slide of the shotgun and whistled.
Jabari didn’t know what was worse, him pumping the slide and hearing it pop. Or, the fuckin’ whistlin’, it was killing Jabari. Hulie peeked out of the window, looked around back and came in the room where they were holed up. They had moved Cleo’s body into a room that had a mattress and tried to keep her conscious. She was in and out of consciousness, half of the time mumbling then going back out. The mattress was soaked with blood and it really looked like she wasn’t gonna make it.
