Anything for Profit 2: Nothing to Lose (31 page)

“
Murder she wrote… Murder she wrote…”

Winding her hips slowly, she turned around and grinded her booty on him. He held onto her waist and got up on it. They stood there dancing intimately for some time.

Blaze was a young cat but he got respect on the streets because had heart. Dudes knew he would bust his gun, so nobody slept on him because he was just sixteen. He was known for having an itchy trigger finger and feared by grown ass men.

Blaze leaned close and spoke in her ear. “Elle, lemme ask you something. What’s a good girl like you doing fuckin’ with a grimy ass prick like that nigga Knight?”

Caught off guard, Elle paused before answering. “I’m saying, Blaze… He ain’t like that. He’s cool.”

Blaze ran his hands along her hips while she winded on him. Damn, she smelled good. “You know, dudes on our side, we don’t like them niggas from the projects. You know that, right?”

“I know… But I don’t got nothing to do with that.”

“Don’t be so sure about that, Elle. I hear dudes talking, so just be careful. You fuckin’ with a dirty ass nigga. A lotta dudes wanna take his head off. I’m just saying…”

Elle was a little alarmed. She would have probably taken that as a threat, had she not known Blaze so well. But they held hands in third grade. She wasn’t afraid of him. She turned around and faced him for the remainder of the record.

“Blaze, look… I didn’t come out tonight to hear about all
that
. I just came to have a good time. Okay? So be quiet and let’s dance.” She wrapped her arms around his neck and moved in closer.

Damn, she made him hard. Elle was sexy as hell. His hands started wandering like they had a mind of their own.

When Blaze squeezed her ass, Elle laughed to herself and didn’t protest. She couldn’t blame him for trying. She knew she was looking good that night. And he had liked her since the third grade.

Etta was looking pretty sexy that night too. She had an admirer who was pressing her like a Sunday shirt. He was about 6’5” and very aggressive. He kept grabbing Etta and insisting that she dance with him. She didn’t know him and she wasn’t attracted to him so she kept refusing.

Around half past midnight, Etta stepped outside with their homegirl Monifah. The touchy feely guy saw her leave out and took it upon himself to follow her. He spotted her talking to another dude she was actually sort of interested in. That must’ve really been a blow to his ego because when the dude stepped off he approached her on some “what the fuck are you doing” type shit. He grabbed Etta by the arm and started wilding. He called her a bitch and the whole nine.

Etta was a pretty girl but she fought a lot growing up. She knew how to defend herself. She pushed that nigga in the chest hard.
Bam!

The guy stumbled. He was so startled by her strength he retaliated with an openhanded slap that sent her careening to the ground. Etta jumped up at the speed of light. In total shock, she grabbed her face and went off.

“Mothafucka, no the fuck you didn’t just slap me in my face! Hold up, you punk ass nigga!” She started digging in her purse for her blade. That was a big nigga. She knew she couldn’t beat him but she could surely cut his ass.

He saw her going in her purse so he ran over and scooped her up. Etta screamed, “Put me down, mothafucka!” She pummeled his back and shoulders with her fists and clawed at his face.

This girl named Georgia saw what was happening and ran inside to inform her sisters. Twyla got the news first and let Elle know. Elle was dancing with Blaze when she heard her sister’s big mouth yelling over the music. Twyla was always loud.

“Yo, Elle! Needra! Etta outside fighting some dude!”

When Elle heard that she ran out behind her sister without explaining anything. She just left Blaze standing there with a stiff one. But he heard Twyla screaming as well, so he knew what the deal was. He hurried out the door behind them to make sure they were okay.

Twyla was probably the boldest of the three sisters. She stood just 5’2” so she was short, but even shorter tempered. She was usually the quickest to fight and always carried a .45 in her Fendi purse. She thought she was pretty tough. So when she saw her sister tussling with that mammoth mothafucka her first instinct was to run over and punch him in the face.
Pow!
She caught that nigga good but he caught her right back. He punched her in the eye so hard she saw stars, moons, and little green men. Twyla grabbed her eye in pain but she didn’t falter.

When Elle, Etta, and Needra saw that gargantuan nigga punch her in the face they all jumped on his ass. It was on. They were out there straight scrapping with that punk. The girls stuck together and they were holding their own.
Needra had him in a headlock while they threw heavy haymakers at him but Goliath was eating those blows and manhandling them.

Some guys intervened and tried to break it up. One of them was Blaze. The asshole they were fighting was so angry he didn’t want to quit. He started wilding on the dudes too. He shoved Blaze, who in turn
got angry and snuffed that nigga. He caught him square in the jaw. Goliath swung back wildly and missed. Not in a fighting mood, Blaze backed up and reached under his shirt for his burner.

By then, Twyla already had her shit out. She cocked it and some dude yelled, “Oh shit, that bitch got a gun.” When people heard that they scattered. Twyla fired a warning shot in the air.
BOOM!!!

That gunfire put some fear in Goliath. That bastard forgot about fighting Blaze and got the hell up outta there.

After he ran off, Monifah came over there acting like she was concerned. “Oh my goodness, are y’all alright?”

Etta smirked at her. “Yeah, no thanks to you. What happened, girl? We came outside together but when that nigga came up in my face, I looked around and you was gone.”

Monifah lied, “No, I wasn’t. I was out here try’na help you. You ain’t see me, Etta?”

Twyla was angered by her phony ass display of concern. She screwed her face up at Monifah. “Bitch, get the fuck outta here with that fake shit! When that nigga was try’na fuck us up, yo’ ass was hiding in the corner! So now you wanna come asking if we alright! As a matter of fact, bitch, hold this!” Twyla hauled off and punched her in the face.
Pow!

Monifah’s glasses flew to the left and she was completely dumbstruck. She just gasped in horror and scurried to find her eyeglasses.

Twyla said, “Bitch, that’s for not helping my sister!”

Monifah just stared at her with her mouth hanging open. She wasn’t the fighting type but she knew Twyla was. They had lived across the street from each other their whole lives so she knew Twyla didn’t have it all. She didn’t want to fight her. With no plans to retaliate, she kept looking on the ground for her missing eyeglasses lens.

Everyone out there was staring at Twyla but those who knew her weren’t really surprised. They already knew she was a firecracker.

Twyla looked at her family, and said, “These damn people looking at me like I’m crazy. Let’s go, y’all. That nigga done hit me in my damn eye! My shit gon’ be black as Elle’s ass. ”

Elle just shook her head and didn’t even comment. Twyla was so stupid. The girls all laughed about the fight after that and compared battle scars.

Blaze looked around at them chuckling and was very amused. He said, “Y’all girls are somethin’ else.”

They all laughed again and thanked him for helping them. Twyla said, “Blaze, you got more heart than most of these grown men, with they bitch asses. Thanks a lot, baby!”

Blaze humbly told them it was nothing. They all said goodnight, and the girls started to the corner to get a cab. Elle smiled at Blaze and waved, and then followed her sisters.

He grabbed her hand and stopped her before she could get away. “Look, Elle, I would never sit back and let anything happen to you or your family. But it seemed like Twyla pretty much had things under control. Your sister crazy with that hammer.”

They both grinned. Elle said, “I know, right? My sister was born crazy. Well, thanks again, boo. Bye, Blaze.” She batted her eyelids at him flirtatiously.

He caught that and held onto her hand for a few seconds. Blaze realized he couldn’t let her leave. He was compelled to offer her a ride home. He forgot about his plans to smash this other chick he messed with sometimes. If nothing else, he wanted to talk more with Elle. “Wait, lemme take y’all home.”

To his delight, she agreed.

“Okay, thanks, boo. Lemme tell my sisters.” She called the others back and they accepted the ride.

After she and Blaze dropped the others off at home, Elle stayed out with him all night. But all they did was talk and go for breakfast at this diner. There was no funny business whatsoever. They just had a great time connecting. It was almost eight AM when Elle walked in the house.

Chapter 3

“It’s a small world after all” had to be the realest song lyric ever. Whoever wrote that was on point. After Elle left the party with Blaze that night, Knight heard about it all the way down in Baltimore. He came up two days later and he was pretty heated. He disguised it well but he made it a point to confront her about it.

Knight didn’t mention it on the phone. He waited until they were face to face. That night they were alone in a luxury hotel room he had rented. Elle was suited up in a lacy French teddy he had bought her and sexy high heels.

Knight was kissing her neck and nibbling on her ear. Elle was breathing heavily and moaning softly. Things were really heating up. She wanted him inside of her.

Suddenly, he turned ice cold and grabbed her by the neck. His words dripping with contempt, he hissed, “You think you so fuckin’ slick! I know about you fuckin’ the shit outta that lil’ nigga Blaze last Saturday night! You left a party with that nigga, and then let him dig you out all night! ‘Til the sun came up!”

Shocked, she attempted to pry his hand off her neck. “Wait a minute, what are you talking about? Knight, that’s a lie!”

“So you
weren’t
with him? Lie to me, and watch what I do,” he threatened.

“No, he just gave me a ride home, that’s all. From this little get-together my homegirl had.”

“I know
exactly
where you were. Your friend Poochie had a birthday party on Willoughby.”

Alarmed and surprised that he knew her whereabouts, Elle said, “Well, whoever told you that need to get their facts straight. What I look like, some kinda hoe? All we did was
talk
, Knight. And we went to go get somethin’ to eat. That’s it!”

He was so mad steam was shooting out of his ears. He demanded that she tell him exactly what they talked about. Before Elle could answer him, he bellowed, “Matter of fact, I don’t wanna hear
shit
! Just know you put a nail in that little nigga coffin!”

Elle couldn’t believe him. “Knight, don’t say that!”

He looked at her like she was a real fucking traitor. “Oh, so you
care
about that nigga now, huh? Sound like you got
feelings
for him.”

“No, I don’t. I’m just saying … Kill him for what? Nothing happened.”

He just looked at her suspiciously. “If you say so. But if I ever hear about you fuckin’ with that lil’ bastard Blaze, or any more of my fuckin’ foes, I won’t be responsible for what happens next.”

Knight paused for a minute and exhaled like he was literally letting off steam. Elle stood there still and afraid.

Next time he spoke he was much calmer. “Baby girl, lemme tell you somethin’. Don’t get that dispensable lil’ nigga killed. There’s a war going on out here in these streets, and you better know what side you on. You already chose, so don’t be fuckin’ with the enemy. It’s important that you understand how very few people I can trust. How the fuck I’ma trust you when you ridin’ around with this nigga?!”

Elle understood where he was coming from so she surrendered peacefully. “I’m sorry, baby. It won’t happen again. Okay?”

Knight said he forgave her but he took it out on her during their sex. He hit it like he was punishing her and made her scream “I’m sorry” over and over. That night Elle learned the meaning of a grudge fuck. The crazy part about it was that now she loved him even more. The fact that he was jealous turned her on. She was young, naïve, and just really loved that thug shit.

$$$

About two weeks later, Elle was scheduled to take that Baltimore trip again. She left on a Friday evening so she wouldn’t miss any days from school. Knight was still very strict about that. He even insisted that she bring her homework with her.

When Elle got down there this time she didn’t stay at a hotel. She stayed at an apartment that Knight and his partner in crime, Rude, had recently rented. Elle got to stay with Knight for three days. She was delighted and felt like the wife without a doubt.