Animal (38 page)

Frankie smiled. “I’d like that. But first, you two spend some time together trying to mend those fences. We can do the introductions after that.”

“Bet. Who knows, maybe me, you, and Fatima can—”

“Let me stop you before you ruin this li’l moment, Cutty,” Frankie interrupted. “You know I don’t shit where I work. I ain’t fucking with you like that.”

“Frankie, you act like I’m an ugly nigga or something,” he said defensively.

“No, Cutty. You’re actually very handsome, but that’s only on the outside. I know how you think, so I could never fuck with you like that. If you ever tried to treat me like you treat Jada, I’d kill you in your sleep, so let’s not even put ourselves through the motions,” she got out of the truck.

“One day, Frankie Angels!” he called after her.

“I doubt it, but you can hold on to hope for as long you like,” she said over her shoulder and sashayed toward her building.

As she approached the stoop, she noticed Bess and Vashaun staring at her. From the way they suddenly got quiet she knew that they had been talking about her. When Frankie made eye contact with the girls, Vashaun turned her eyes away, but Bess kept staring. Frankie didn’t do
eye battles
; she was more into hand-to-hand combat, so she decided it was time to confront Bess and see just where she wanted to go with it.

“What up?” Frankie stood in front of the stoop and addressed the girls.

“What’s going on, Frankie?” Vashaun gave her phony smile. Bess just rolled her eyes.

“That’s what I’m trying to figure out. What’s good with you, Bess?” Frankie called her out.

“Ain’t shit good with me.” Bess snaked her neck.

“Obviously, because you walking around with an attitude with me like I kicked your dog,” Frankie stated. “You got a problem with me or something, Bess?”

Bess turned and looked up at Frankie. “As a matter of fact, I do. That was some bullshit you pulled the other day, Frankie.”

“What, you mean during the fight? Bess, you know homie tripped Porsha, and it wouldn’t have been right to let Veronica get at her. That shit was foul,” Frankie explained.

“Yeah, well, just staying out of it would’ve been the smart thing to do. A lot of people from the neighborhood are feeling some type of way about you jumping in.”

Frankie looked at Bess as if she had taken leave of her senses. “Shorty, you sound silly. Porsha is like my sister. Ain’t no way I was gonna see her go out like no sucker. I don’t know how y’all bitches do it down here, but in Harlem, we look out for our own.”

“Well, this ain’t Harlem; it’s Brooklyn,” Bess reminded her.

“I wouldn’t give a fuck if it was the moon. That rule is universal with me,” Frankie shot back. “And as far as muthafuckas on this block feeling some type of way for me defending my girl, anybody who wants it knows where to find me.” Frankie stepped over the girls and went up the stairs into her building.

Frankie was stomping her way up the stairs when Dena opened her apartment door and stepped out. “I heard you yelling. Is everything okay?”

“Everything is good. I just had to G-check these bitches real quick,” Frankie said in a huff.

“Them hoes still tripping over what happened the other day?” Dena asked.

“You know they are. Bess out there talking about people on this block are feeling some type of way about me getting in the middle—like I give a fuck. She’s lucky I didn’t decide to bust her ass that day, and Harlem could’ve had a two for one out here.”

“That Bess is something else.” Dena shook her head. “Not for nothing, you might wanna keep an eye on her ass, Frankie. Bess ain’t the toughest bitch in this hood, but she’s the sneakiest.”

“That bum bitch don’t want no parts of me. If Bess ever try to get outta pocket, I’m gonna molly-wop that broad all up and down Jefferson,” Frankie said confidently.

“Well, just be on point. It would make me feel better. You know I would have to wild out if somebody tried to do something to my Frankie Angels.” She reached out to touch Frankie’s face, but Frankie pulled away.

“Chill out,” Frankie said, looking around to make sure no one had seen.

“Stop being so jumpy, Frankie. Ain’t nobody out here but us.” Dena took a step forward, and Frankie backed up. “What’s good with you?”

“Ain’t nothing, Dena. I’m just tired and aggravated,” Frankie lied. The truth was that Dena was starting to make her feel uncomfortable. She’d initially enjoyed her carefree romps with Dena, but lately, she had been very clingy, and it turned Frankie off. Women with her were more of a vice than a choice, and Dena was starting to crowd her.

“I can dig that. Well, look, why don’t I run to the store and get us some heroes. We can chill at your crib, relax, and watch a movie,” Dena suggested.

“I’m not really feeling up to it. I’m just gonna go in the crib and crash,” Frankie said, continuing to her apartment.

“Okay, so let’s hook up later tonight then,” Dena called after her.

“I wish I could, but I’ve already made plans. But I’m gonna call you,” Frankie promised and closed the door.

“I’ll bet you did,” Dena murmured under her breath, thinking of the truck she’d seen Frankie getting out of a few minutes prior. Dena was feeling in a way about how Frankie had brushed her off. The more she thought on it, she realized that Frankie’s attitude toward her always changed when she’d seen or spoken to Cutty, which had been a lot lately. Dena knew that she and Frankie had agreed that they wouldn’t make their fling complicated with feelings, but Dena had no control over her heart. In Frankie, she found the best of both worlds—a BFF and a lover, and the thought of losing that closeness to someone else panicked her, and she feared something bad was about to befall their relationship.

PART IV

LOVE & GUNPLAY

FORTY

A
NIMAL SAT BEHIND THE WHEEL OF HIS
trusty rental car, steaming a blunt and listening to the night sounds. Ashanti rode shotgun. He was flicking the safety of the black Mac11 on and off, deep in his own thoughts. The sound of the safety being clicked over and over again irritated Animal, but he let him be. They were about to ride into a tense situation, and everybody seemed to be on edge, except Alonzo.

Animal watched him curiously through the rearview mirror as he moved with almost mechanical precision, loading the big .45, then placed it to the side and began loading his .357. He’d offered Alonzo one of the machine guns stashed in the trunk, but he had declined, opting for his revolvers. His reasoning was that he never had to worry about them jamming on him in a tight situation. Animal had expected Alonzo to show signs of nervousness considering they were about to bet a losing hand, but he was the picture of calm. He was almost like a soldier who had seen several tours of duty but was always ready to sign up for one more. The more time Animal spent
around Alonzo, the more comfortable he became with the idea of him riding along.

The car was parked in the lot of a small restaurant which sat right next to a nondescript motel off the 1&9 in Elizabeth, NJ. For all intents and purposes, it looked like nothing more than a seedy motel where you could get your jollies on for a few dollars an hour. The only thing that betrayed its secret was the luxury cars lined up in the parking lot that night. The address to the motel had been the one Money Mike had whispered in Animal’s ear before Animal made him a eunuch. It was the location of the high-roller card game and the place where he and Shai Clark would have their day of reckoning.

“Damn, you see that bitch?” Ashanti got closer to the windshield. He was looking at a caramel-colored woman wearing a skintight black dress and thigh-high boots. She strode through the motel parking lot like she owned it.

“Yeah, she is nice,” Alonzo watched the girl too.

“That square-ass nigga she with look like he don’t even know what to do with all that ass.” Ashanti was speaking of the man walking arm in arm with the girl. He was an older cat wearing a fur that looked like the sleeves were too short.

“Probably not,” Alonzo laughed. As he continued to watch the girl, something about her walk was familiar. He couldn’t see her face because it was covered by long black hair and dark sunglasses, but her body language spoke to him. “I think I know that broad, but I can’t really tell.”

“Knowing you, you probably smashed,” Ashanti teased him.

Alonzo shrugged. “Hey, don’t hate the player.”

“You think they’re going to the card game too?” Ashanti asked Animal.

“If I had to guess, I’d say yes. Don’t look like homeboy is carrying no laundry in that bag.” Animal pointed to a second man who was trailing behind the couple. Ashanti and Alonzo were so preoccupied with the girl that they hadn’t noticed the man, but Animal did. He waited until the trio had disappeared inside the motel before giving the nod that he was ready. “Let’s do this.” He grabbed the duffel bag he had packed for the occasion and got out of the car.

“
That’s
what I’m talking about! No more talking. Time to make these niggaz bleed!” Ashanti said excitedly, jumping out of the car like a kid who had just arrived at an amusement park.

Alonzo simply followed in silence.

The three desperados crept across the parking lot like shadows, with Animal leading the way. He peered in the window of the office and saw that there was only one clerk, so he held one finger up to relay it to his crew. Pulling a red bandana over the lower half of his face, Animal stepped into the office. When the desk clerk heard the bell above the door jingle he looked up from the skin-magazine he had been looking at and found himself confronted with three armed men.

Ashanti stepped forward and chambered a round into the Mac11. “Night-night, nigga,” he pointed the machine gun at the frightened desk clerk.

“What the fuck are you doing?” Animal pushed the machine gun away.

Ashanti looked at him quizzically. “You said we coming in here to slump niggaz, so I was gonna slump him.”

“Go ahead and blast him and not only will you announce our arrival to every cop within a mile, but you’ll also end up on the six o’clock news, genius.” Animal pointed at the overhead
camera. He leaned over the desk and knocked the clerk out with a blow to the head from his gun. When he was sure the clerk wouldn’t get back up he turned to Ashanti. “Now, tuck that hammer until I tell you otherwise and go get the videotapes outta the back.”

“Fucking killjoy,” Ashanti mumbled on his way to the back office to search for the surveillance system. A few minutes later he came back out holding three VCR tapes, which he shoved into Animal’s chest before leaving the office.

“Damn kids.” Animal shook his head. “I hope I ain’t gotta babysit you too,” he looked at Alonzo.

Alonzo laughed at Animal’s statement and headed outside.

The three men crept up the exterior stairs to the second floor of the motel. They could hear laughter and music the closer they got to the end of the tier. From what Money Mike had told him, they rented two rooms for the event; one for the actual game and the other for the entertainment, which meant pussy and drugs. Animal stopped in front of the room that Mike had told him the players would be in and set his bag on the ground. He pulled out a railroad spike and a sledgehammer with half the shaft sawed off. He handed the railroad spike to Ashanti and took the sledgehammer.

“Everybody remember what they’re supposed to do?” Animal asked his cohorts.

“Hell, yeah,” Ashanti leveled the railroad spike with the peephole.

“Once we cross this threshold, there ain’t no turning back. Everything changes,” Animal reminded them.

Ashanti sucked his teeth. “Blood, you know wherever you go, I go.”

“And wherever he goes, I go. Somebody has got to keep his li’l ass out of trouble,” Alonzo joked.

“That’s my brother’s keeper.” Ashanti gave Alonzo a nod. “Now you gonna keep giving speeches, or are we gonna go up in there and lay it down for Gucci?”

“Zo, you wanna do the honors?” Animal secured his grip on the sledgehammer.

“It would be my pleasure.” Alonzo stepped forward and knocked on the door.

A few seconds passed, then they heard someone come to the door. “Who is it?” a voice called from behind the door.

“Payback, muthafucka!” Animal roared and swung the sledgehammer with everything he had. The hammer made contact with the spike and someone howled in pain on the receiving end.

It was officially on.