The Dopeman's Wife: Part I of the Dopeman Trilogy (17 page)

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Authors: JaQuavis Coleman

Tags: #Fiction, #African American, #General, #Urban

BOOK: The Dopeman's Wife: Part I of the Dopeman Trilogy
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NOBODY UNTIL SOMEBODY KILLS YOU
Chapter Twenty-two
Loon leaned his head into the notebook and used his nose as a vacuum to sniff the line of blow. He quickly jerked his head back to prevent his nose from running as he passed the notebook over to Church, who rolled up a bill and snorted the other line, which Loon had prepared for him.
Loon thumbed his nose as he looked at the people going into Tical’s club. “Okay, tonight’s the night.” He looked over at Church, whose eyes watered because of the potency of the drug.
“I’m ready. It’s our time to be top dog,” Church said, repeating what Loon had been telling him all week.
Loon had finally persuaded Church to kill Tical, telling him that as long as Tical was alive, they would never be able to come into their own. Loon also wanted Nautica, but knew he would never get her heart while Tical was still breathing. At first he was just using Nautica for his sexual satisfaction, but along the way he fell in love with her. In his mind, Nautica loved him too. He knew by the way she twitched when he ate her out that she was enjoying it.
She’ll come around. I just have to get Tical out of the way so that she can get her focus off that nigga. I am going to knock him off, then Millie and Gunplay. This city is going to be mine. I’m the mu’ fuckin’ man! Not Tical
. Loon’s mind was getting more twisted and deranged by the day, and the only thing he knew for sure was that he was in love with Nautica and was determined to make her his forever.
“So, look, I’m going to keep everyone downstairs, and I want you to hit him at twelve midnight, while everyone is in the club doing the countdown. I don’t want any mistakes. Load that nigga up with the whole clip. I want him dead by twelve ‘o one, ya dig? Drop the gun and return to the party like nothing happened.”
“I got you, Loon. I’ma wet that nigga up something serious.” Church emptied the small baggie’s contents onto the notebook to vacuum another pile. “What about Millie and Gunplay?”
“I’ma take care of them. You just take care of Tical, and everything else will fall in place.” Loon had planned to kill Church later that night. “You ready to come up, my nigga?” He held out his fist for a pound from Church.
“I’m ready.” Church pulled out his 9 mm and screwed on the silencer.
Tical looked out onto the packed club as he sipped on a small glass of cognac. Nautica stood behind him rubbing his chiseled chest. She remained silent as Tical was in deep thought and mute. She had flashes of what happened the previous night with Loon. I
hate him. I let him degrade me.
She thought about telling Tical the truth, so Loon’s game could finally end. But the more she thought about coming clean, the more she thought about losing Tical.
Nautica continued to rub his chest. “Baby, it’s New Year’s Eve. You need to relax. You don’t seem like yourself tonight,” she said, finally breaking the silence.
“For some strange reason, I have a funny feeling about tonight. I don’t know why, but I do.” Tical stared out the glass. True hustlers always had a sixth sense, and Tical’s was kicking in. Something just wasn’t right, and he was trying to put his finger on it.
“Everything is going to be okay. You’re probably just stressed out, ya know.”
“Yeah, you’re probably right.” Tical turned around and slid his hands onto her hips. He leaned down and kissed her, and she wrapped her arms around his neck.
When they finished kissing, Tical walked behind his desk and began to look at the cameras. He just wanted to keep a cautious eye on what was happening inside his club.
Nautica looked at the clock and noticed it was
11:30
. “Baby, it’s almost time for the countdown.”
Loon walked through the club wearing all black and a do-rag tied tight around his head. He headed toward the back entrance to let Church inside. He didn’t want anyone to see Church until after the hit. He made his way past Millie and Gunplay, who sat in the VIP section popping bottles and partying. They were so busy having fun, they didn’t see Loon slip past. Loon went to the back near the restroom and opened the door, letting Church in. Church also had on all black and a hat pulled down tight over his eyes.
Loon entered the club area and saw Nautica coming down the stairs. He went over to her, so he could meet her at the last step. He grabbed her hand. “What’s up, baby?”
“Bitch, don’t baby me!” Nautica pulled her hand back and looked to see if anyone was watching.
“I see you’re feisty. You’ll come around in due time.”
Nautica rolled her eyes and brushed past him as she headed toward the VIP section, where she was supposed to wait for Tical. She went over to Gunplay and grabbed a bottle of champagne from the table.
Gunplay saw the frustration in her face. “You good?”
“Yeah, I’m good.”
Loon walked up and slapped hands with Millie and Gunplay before he sat in the booth.
Gunplay took another swig of his drink. “Where is Tical?”
Nautica leaned into Gunplay, trying to be heard over the music. “He’s upstairs in the office. He is on his way down, he looking over some papers.”
Gunplay nodded his head and began rocking to the club banger.
Church tried to be as inconspicuous as possible as he went up the stairs and headed to Tical’s office. He gripped the gun inside the front pocket of his hoody as he approached the door.
Tical was sitting at his desk going over the papers for the release of the rights to the show, when he saw Church slide in. “Nigga, knock before you come in my shit. Fuck is yo’ problem?” Tical, his face frowned, shook his head and glanced back down at his papers. “What you want anyway?”
Church remained silent as he walked closer to Tical.
“Nigga, may I help you?”
Church pulled out the gun.
“What you going to do with that?” Tical said calm and collectively.
Church held up the gun and pointed it at Tical. His hands shaking as he aimed the weapon, he finally looked into Tical’s eyes. Although Church was the one with the gun, he was the more fearful. A brief silence filled the room as the two men stared at each other, neither moving a muscle.
Church finally let off five slugs into Tical’s chest, and Tical flew backwards in his chair and lay their motionless, his eyes closed. Tical was gone. Church ran out of the office and straight into the bathroom, not believing what he’d just done. He splashed water onto his face and smiled. It was his time to come up in the game.
TICAL’S DEATH
Chapter Twenty-three
Nautica looked around for Tical as the crowd counted down the new year.
Where’s my baby at?
She saw Loon staring at her as if she was the only person in the room. She then saw Church scooting into the booth, and Loon handed him a bottle. Church whispered into Loon’s ear, causing him to smile.
“Five, four, three, two, one—happy new year!” the crowd erupted, as balloons dropped from the ceiling and fell onto the huge dance floor.
Nautica continued to search the crowd for her man, but she didn’t see him. She looked up to his office, expecting him to be observing the dance floor as he always did, but she still didn’t see him. When she got up to go see what the holdup was, she felt a hand grab her and pull her back down.
“Where you going? Not to that nigga, I hope.”
“Why are you grabbing me like that in front of all these people, Loon?” Nautica pulled back from him.
Millie and Gunplay were too busy popping bottles to notice him grab her up. Nautica quickly scanned the room for Tical. She saw him coming through the crowd with just a wifebeater on. She quickly scooted over, trying to create space between her and Loon before her man saw it.
Luckily Tical was wearing a bulletproof vest and the bullets didn’t go through. He maneuvered through the crowd, a pistol gripped in his right hand, causing people to created a path for him. He was headed directly toward the booth. Neither Loon or Church saw him approaching. He grabbed Church by the neck and put a big chrome .45-pistol in his mouth. “You can’t kill me, li’l nigga!”
Instantly Millie and Gunplay stood up to see what was going on.
“Baby, what’s going on?” Nautica asked.
Tical then pulled the gun out of Church’s mouth and fired three shots into the air, causing the whole club to scamper. He wanted to clear out the club, so there would-n’t be any witnesses. The club went into pandemonium as everyone scrambled for the exit.
Millie and Gunplay pulled out their guns, trying to find out what was happening.
Within a minute, the entire club was empty, and the sound of tires screeching erupted from the parking lot.
Gunplay stood next to Tical, who had a scared Church by his neck, choking the life out of him. “What’s wrong, fam?”
“This nigga just tried to murk me!”
Gunplay put his gun to Church’s head, and so did Millie.
Church yelled, “It wasn’t my idea!”
Loon was shook to death, not believing Tical was alive. He had to act quick before Church told it all. Without hesitation, he pulled out his pistol and sent two bullets through Church’s head, forcing his brains through the other side that he shot from. Everyone looked in shock as Church lay slumped. Tical released his corpse and let off two more in his body.
“Nobody goes against the team!” Loon said, breathing heavily. He looked at Tical, trying to read him.
“Loon, call the cleaners!” Tical took off his bloody wife-beater. “And take Nautica home when you done.” He stormed off toward his office, followed closely by Gunplay and Millie.
Loon hit the steering wheel as he thought about his failed attempt on Tical’s life. “Fuck!”
Nautica hesitantly got in the car and scooted as far away as she could from him. Scared for Tical, she didn’t know what to think. She’d tried to talk to him, but he told her to just go home, he’d meet her there later.
As they pulled into Tical’s driveway, Nautica quickly opened the door to get out, but Loon grabbed her by the arm and pulled her back down into the seat. Then he quickly unleashed his grip when he saw the look on her face. He knew his time was running thin with her, and eventually she would get tired of him blackmailing her.
His bipolar mind was playing tricks on him. He really thought he could get Nautica to love him like she loved Tical. He looked into her eyes and caressed her face. “Look, let’s just run away together. I will treat you like the beautiful queen you are.”
Nautica jerked back and frowned. “Look, Loon, you will never be Tical, okay. Never! I would never want to be with you. Even if you were the last nigga on earth.” She got out the car and headed toward the house.
Heartbroken, Loon pulled off devising a plan in his mind.
The next day Tical was in deep contemplation at his desk, wondering what would make Church turn on him. He’d had a sleepless night.
Who the fuck am I keeping in my circle?
He been reevaluating his decision making. Nautica was acting strange lately, Millie had an ongoing attitude with him, and he kept battling back and forth about leaving the game alone.
Tical was supposed to have made his exit from the streets months ago, but he always thought,
one more month
.
One more flip
. See, drug dealing was addictive too, and the lure of fast money was as powerful as the urge to shoot heroin or smoke crack.
He answered his phone, “Yo’.” Weed smoke still in his lungs, he made smoke circles as he leaned back in his chair and waited for a response.
“Loyalty is what separate boys from men, Tical. I taught you that many, many years ago,” a voice with a thick Haitian accent said.
Tical immediately recognized the voice as Black Pete’s, his former mentor. He’d been expecting the call all morning. “He went against the grain.”
“He was my flesh and blood and now I must bury him into the ground while you remain on this earth, Tical.”
Tical wanted to be apologetic, but that would be no good to Black Pete. He’d already crossed the line. “Let’s quit the bullshit, Black. You know where I’m at. I love you with all my heart, but I will put you right next to yo’ kid, if that’s what you want.” He took another deep pull of the spliff.
“I’m sorry to hear that you feel that way, Tical. I loved you like a son, but not more than MY son,” Black said, his voice becoming more aggressive with each word. “I will see you soon, my friend.” He hung up.
Tical blew out the smoke and sat back in his chair. He knew that was a threat.
Just then Nautica walked in with her big Chanel purse and long black pea coat, and it seemed that all his troubles went out the window. He unleashed that smile of his, snuffing out the spliff in the ashtray.
“Hey,” Nautica said. She’d just left the set of the show and was glad to be home. Witnessing Church’s murder the previous night had been on her mind all day.
“Hey, beautiful. How was your day?”
“I should be asking you that.” She pulled her shades to the top of her head and walked behind Tical and massaged his shoulders.
Tical, his eyes closed, moved his neck in a circular motion. “That feels good, baby. You always make shit better, you know that?”
“That’s what I’m here for. You seem like you have a lot on your mind.” She kissed the top of his head.
Tical grabbed Nautica and sat her on his lap. “I’m glad I have you. Throughout all of this, I know everything is going to be all right as long as I got you and you got me. I know regardless of what everybody else do, you got my back. I’m surrounded by liars and envious mu’fuckas. I just need you to promise me one thing.” He pulled away from her, so he could look into her eyes.
“Anything.”
“Never lie to me or be untrustworthy. It seems like you are the only thing that is for sure in my life.”
Nautica couldn’t help thinking about the things she’d been lying to him about, not to mention allowing Loon to be intimate with her behind his back. She stared into his eyes and cradled his face. “I won’t.” She kissed his lips softly.
Just then Tical heard his alarm beep, signaling that the front door had been opened. He eased Nautica off his lap and looked at her and put his finger over his lips, telling her to remain quiet. Nautica had no idea what was going on.
He reached into his desk and grabbed his gun and crept toward the living room. He clicked his gun off safety. He saw a shadow and swung his gun at the intruder.
“Ahhhh!” Millie put both of her hands up. “Damn, Tical! What the fuck you got guns on me and shit for?”
“Damn, Millie, you should of knocked, coming into my shit!”
“Why would I knock and I have a key?” Millie closed the door and shook her head.
Tical lowered his gun and put it in the small of his back as he returned to the den with Nautica. “It’s cool, baby. It was just Millie.”
Millie followed close behind.
Just Millie?
“Oh, you scared me.” Nautica sat down.
“Damn, Tical! I been coming in with a key for years.” Millie sat across from Nautica.
Tical walked to the bar and poured him some cognac over ice
.
“Yeah, well, you need to start letting a nigga know you coming over. Got that?” Tical was expecting to see one of Black Pete’s Haitians creeping in to try to kill him.
Millie began to sulk. Tical had never used that tone with her. She knew Nautica was the reason for the sudden change. “Okay, whatever. I just came to drop off this money from the last shipment and get my holster from my room.” She stormed upstairs.
Tical began to feel bad, knowing Millie was only catching a backlash from everything going on with him. He didn’t mean to raise his voice at her. “Damn!” he whispered. He drank down the whole glass and slammed it on the bar. He walked over to his desk and put his gun back in his desk.
“She seems hot.” Nautica smiled on the inside. Millie would finally see her room rearranged.
On cue, Millie stormed down the stairs and stood in the doorway, hands on her hips. “Tical, where is all my stuff?” she asked almost in tears. She never really had nothing to call her own before Tical gave her that room, and seeing Nautica’s belongings in there really tore her up.
“In the garage.”
“In the garage?” Millie looked at Tical like he was crazy.
Tical remained silent. He forgot that he’d told Nautica she could turn Millie’s room into a study.
“You acting like a mu’fuckin’ cake-ass nigga right now!”
Tical sat down in his chair, his face frowned up. He’d never expected her to come at him like that. “It’s time for you to grow up, baby.”
“No. It’s time for
you
to grow up. You all up this bitch ass. What happened to you, Tical?” Millie fought back tears.
Nautica jumped up and snapped her neck back, going ghetto on Millie’s ass. “Who the fuck is you calling a bitch!”
“Bitch, don’t make me put a slug through that ass.”
Tical instantly went between the two girls as they charged each other. He grabbed Nautica and whispered in her ear.
Nautica quickly calmed down. “Well, you need to get that li’l girl.”
“I got your little girl right here.” Millie ran up on Nautica, reaching over Tical.
Tical grabbed her by the shoulders and shook her. “Look, you outta line, Millian!”
“You going to put this bitch over me, Tical? Huh? Well, fuck you, nigga! You letting pussy control your actions. You know what!” Millie pulled away from him. “Fuck you! Fuck both of y’all. Y’all deserve each other.” And she left out, holding up her middle finger.
Tical had never experienced such disrespect. If it was anybody else, he would have put a bullet through their body. He went upstairs, leaving Nautica alone in the den. He shook his head when he heard his front door slam.
She’s getting out of hand
.
Nautica mumbled to herself, “That bitch is going to be a problem.”

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