A Hood Legend (22 page)

* * *

“Geesh, it's hot.” Hamilton took off his tie, tossed it onto the passenger's seat and headed for the beach. The day, in more ways than one, had started off on a good note. The beach was packed with young college girls who took advantage of every available opportunity to flash their tits and asses. Some even showed more.
Hell, I'm only human
, he thought ten minutes later as he gripped the steering wheel while the pale-skinned, petite redhead buried her face down between his legs, sucking him. Beachgoers walked by his tinted SUV, oblivious to what was going on inside the vehicle.
Yes, I'm only human
, he thought again.

* * *

“Wake up, DJ!” Lisa said shaking him. “It's almost eleven o'clock and you ain't got up yet!” It was only a few minutes that she had been awake herself. Since DJ was knocked out cold, she went in search of Menage, thinking that maybe he was hungry. But after her third knock on the door went unanswered, she peeked in to see that he was gone. She could hear Benita's mouth now. DJ was so tired and high from the coke-laced weed—not to mention the shock of seeing Menage, that he told Lisa to take the keys and drive herself home. She picked up the keys to his Corvette and thought about trying to wake him once more to tell him what time she'd return. She quickly decided against it when he began to snore loudly.

“I'm stompin' wit' da big dawgs,” she said smiling to herself as she got behind the wheel of DJ's custom C-5 Corvette.

* * *

Benita was lounging on the couch reading a book on Greek Mythology. She knew she should be out enjoying herself; it was spring break. And she was still waiting for Lisa to call and prayed that she had some info on Menage. She tossed the book on the floor and rubbed her thighs. They were a little sore from all the dancing she did the night before. The clock above the TV read twenty minutes after eleven. She was about to hit Lisa on her two-way, but she heard a car pull up outside. She got up and looked through the blinds and saw Lisa getting out of a strange car.

“Bout time you got home,” Benita said as Lisa walked into the house.

“Girl, chill. And I got some news for you, so sit down.” It took a few minutes for Lisa to gather her thoughts and tell Benita about running into Menage.

“Are you sure it was him!”

“Yes, girl—the platinum teeth, the butter-ass Escalade and that chest ...”

“Hold up, hold up. How did you see his chest?”

“Child, please,” Lisa said, knowing how Benita's mind was bent. “I had to put some cream on his wounds. His shirt was already off and like I said, when I got up this morning he was gone.”

Benita dropped her hands in her lap. “Why hasn't he called me ... or come by?”

Lisa could only shrug her shoulders. “Ain't no telling, but look, why sit up in this place and stress yourself? Let's go to the beach and have some fun.” The two later stepped outside toward DJ's Corvette wearing matching Fendi string bikinis and fishnet skirts.

“When you 'posed to take the car back?” Benita asked.

Lisa threw her head back defiantly. “When I damn well please, that's when!”

The strip on South Beach was packed bumper to bumper. The sidewalks were crowded with college students, dancing in front of a cameraman who was filming live for BET's
Rap City
. Most of the shots would have to be censored, no doubt. Lisa had the top down on the Corvette, and at each stoplight she revved up the engine as the crowd urged her on to do a burnout. However, she didn't wish to take a chance of losing control of the powerful sports car. But damn if she wasn't having fun.

“Now that don't make no damn sense,” Lisa said as she walked down the beach with Benita.

“What?”

“That!” Lisa pointed out toward the ocean at a huge boat. “Now that's major paper, girl. I wonder how much one of those costs. Got to be somebody famous. What do you think?” Lisa asked.

Benita glanced at the boat and then kicked the sand at her feet. “Don't know and don't care.”

Lisa sucked her teeth and started to walk again. Seeing that she was about to pass two men, she put an extra sway in her hips as they walked by she and Benita. She got the reaction she wanted when they turned to catch up to them. After a quick exchange of names they paired up, and Lisa stepped off to the side with the taller of the two men. Benita stood with her arms crossed, looking out into the distance. The guy was cute, but she just wasn't in the mood.

“So what's up, you shy or something?”

Benita gave him a quick head-to-toe glance. He had a nice smile, even teeth and clean nails. There was no hair sticking out of his nose, and he had nice feet and clean skin. She even noticed his muscle tone; he was perfectly built and proportioned.

“I'm okay ... uh, what was your name again?” she asked.

“Alex.”

“No, Alex, I'm not shy. It's just a long story, that's all.”

“Well, okay, that's cool. Maybe we can sit and talk about it ... that is if you ain't seeing someone. But if you are, he's a fool not to be here with you,” he said.

“If I did have a man, why would that make him a fool?”

“There's no point in answering that now that I know you're single. Let's move on and talk about me getting to know you, if that's not asking too much.”

Benita smiled. Alex told her that he was eighteen and she was pleased to find out that he was the starting wide receiver for the South Carolina Gamecocks football team. Lisa pulled Benita away, breaking up their conversation, and Alex walked over to his friend who was the star starting quarterback.

“Girl, ain't they cute? Look, they got a room at the Hilton. Let's go over and chill wit' 'em.”

“Lisa, are you for real!”

“Yeah, girl, let's have some fun. Shit, DJ ain't my husband. I see no ring on my finger and he didn't even touch me last night. But anyway, you wanna go or not?” She felt good to attract a man young enough to be her child if she had started early. Benita looked over at Alex who had now removed his tank top. She couldn't help but smile at his body, and she also saw how the other girls were checking him out.

“Yeah, I'll go.”

“Now that's my girl. Come on.”

Lisa and her date headed for DJ's Corvette as Alex walked Benita toward his sporty pearl black Honda Accord. He asked if loud music would bother her and she told him no. He pulled out behind Lisa and they drove off to the hotel. They let the music play and rode in silence. Benita wondered what she was getting herself into. She knew that going to a hotel only meant one thing—sex, and she felt uneasy as they entered the room. Lisa knew her cousin was uptight.

“You don't feel like doing anything, do you?” Lisa asked her as they stood in the bathroom together. Benita said no. “Look, girl, just go downstairs and wait for me in the lobby.”

“Lisa, I know you ain't about to do what I think you're going to do.” Lisa smiled and licked her lips. Benita shook her head as she walked out of the bathroom and toward the door to leave. Alex sat at the table with his friend, unable to even look at her. By the time Benita made it to the lobby downstairs, Lisa was allowing the quarterback to take the first turn at her. She was naked on her back as he grunted and moaned on top of her. Next she mounted Alex and rode him reverse cowgirl style as he caressed her ass. She showed them a thing or two and she was pleased that they didn't waste time in going down on her to taste her sweetness. She was finally able to act out her sexual dream. And it was safe sex, no doubt. Close to an hour later, she walked up to Benita in the lobby.

“About time,” Benita snapped looking at her watch.

“Oh, please!” Lisa said. “Let's go. I'm tired and hungry as hell. You drive and let's go to Bayside.” Lisa slid down in the seat as Benita started up the car and took off.

“I hope you took a shower!”

Lisa stuck up her middle finger. “Think I'm a slut or somethin'?”

“No, but a nympho, yeah ... that's you, the dick-crazy nympho.”

“Well, I'ma be glad when you get with Menage. I might put my ear to the door just to hear you yell, ‘Oh, baby, harder, yes, yes, do me.'”

They both laughed, and Benita didn't respond to the comment about Menage or say anything about how she really felt about him. She was actually still trying to sort out her feelings.

It was ninety-one degrees and the palm trees at Bayside swayed back and forth in the welcome cool breeze. Benita avoided the area where the shooting occurred, but Lisa still bugged her to show her the spot. When they took their seats at the waterfront restaurant, Benita looked out toward the pier, seeing how everyone was enjoying spring break. On a yacht she saw a bunch of white teenagers having a wild party with loud rock music blasting. Jet skis ripped up and down the beach, racing or just showing off doing stunts.

Benita couldn't get over how Lisa didn't have the common sense to call her last night when she met Menage. She looked at Lisa and rolled her eyes.
Stupid!
Now he was gone again and she had no way to reach him. She wondered how long he had been out of the hospital and if he was even in a damn coma. She sighed heavily.

“What's wrong with you?” Lisa asked.

“Nothing. I'm just thinking about something, that's all.”

“Let me guess ... Mr. Menage, right?”

“Look, let's just order and eat, okay?”

“Well, excuse me, miss don't wanna talk. I guess I'll order but you need to stop trippin' over this guy. He can't be all that. I mean, please, girl, get real!” Lisa picked up the menu and looked for something to fill her stomach with.

* * *

Menage sat in his Escalade at a gas station in Coral Gables sipping on bottled water. He looked at his Rolex. Dough-Low was running late. Menage drummed on his steering wheel and leaned forward to see if he could spot Dough-Low's Yukon Denali LX or his Hummer H2. He saw neither. Felix had just called him and the news was the same; no one had called with a ransom. He wouldn't allow his mind to think of the worst. He knew someone would call and demand money or whatever the hell they wanted for Chandra's safe return. But they had to call and soon. His patience was in short supply right now, and Dough-Low being late didn't ease him one bit. He was about to page him when his cell phone chimed.

“Yeah,” he said as soon as he had the phone to his ear.

“Yo, dun, where the hell you at? I've been here for about fifteen minutes,” Dough-Low said. Once Menage found out that Dough-Low was at the wrong gas station, he told him to stay put. He was on his way.

Menage pulled into the BP gas station to find Dough-Low sitting in his Yukon Denali LX. He pulled up next to him.

“Yo, what da deal?” Dough-Low asked extending his arm out of his window to give Menage some dap. Menage wasted no time telling Dough-Low about the kidnapping.

Dough-Low was shocked and speechless. Menage knew he needed to be sober, but his music made him high; so as he pulled back into the street with Dough-Low behind him, he dropped all the windows halfway on his Escalade and activated his system. “CD nine, song seven, volume max.” Seconds later the SUV shook.

“Dis you?” Dough-Low said pointing at Menage's speedboat. Vapor was on the bow whining and barking at Menage for attention, as he was busy taking off the lines that held his boat to the pier. He then jumped on his boat and took off his shirt.

“Damn, it's hot.”

“It's true!” Dough-Low said. Menage went about the task of starting up his speedboat as a crowd started to form on the pier, waiting to see what his boat could do.

“How fast this thing go?” asked Dough-Low.

“Fast enough. You might wanna strap in,” Menage said as he pushed the red start button. The engine seemed to have a growling beast within it. Dough-Low frowned and looked at the stern of the boat as it slowly moved away from the pier. The speedboat now pointed in the direction of the open sea. Menage made sure Vapor was strapped in his special seat and he strapped himself in as well. He put on his shades and voice mic as he saw people gathering near the shore just to get a closer look at his boat. He gripped the throttle and a feeling of power went all through his entire body. He thought of Chandra as he slammed the throttle forward. The stern dipped into the water and lunged forward with great force. Menage steered the boat to the right, sending up a wall of water as he headed out to sea. When the boat's digital speed counter read ninety knots, he eased off the throttle.

“You wasn't bullshittin'!” yelled Dough-Low. He found it hard to believe that a boat could move so fast over water. The bow was raised up high out of the water, but the way the speedboat was built, it felt as if they were riding over a level surface. When a wave high enough to reach the bow hit the boat, the Skater cut through the wave with ease and landed back hard on the water. Menage navigated the boat on a straight path, ignoring the speed limit now. He knew the Coast Guard's speedboat could only reach up to eighty miles per hour. They'd bring out the helicopter for anything faster.

“Hey, I thought you said you had the fastest boat out here!” Dough-Low yelled pointing over his shoulder. Menage gripped the wheel and took a quick look behind him. Coming up fast and on his tail was a sleek thirty-foot Donza speedboat. It pulled up next to them, matching Menage's speed. The driver of the Donza looked over and smiled as his two male passengers mooned them. Then with a quick burst of power they pulled away, leaving a giant rooster tail behind.

“Dat's fucked up. If I knew the police wasn't out, I'd set fire to their pale asses ... oh, it's true!”