The Grind Don't Stop (23 page)

For the past couple of days they had traveled the hoods of DeKalb and Fulton counties in search of anybody who might've heard about a nigga being shot in the arm whose name started with a J. The forty-eight consecutive hours of non-sleep venturing had all been in vain.

When a car with a booming sound system pull into the driveway, they knew that it was him. Stacy rapped on the door several times before entering without waiting for a response. He swaggered in jacking up his sagging pants by the back pockets, skinning and grinning. He froze when he saw the serious look on their faces. Turning his mouth down into a full grit, he flipped one of the chairs around backward and sat down at the table with his arms folded behind his head. “Whatz up, man? Why y'all looking all glum and shit?”

Rainbow took one last drag on the blunt he had been pulling on and passed it to Stacy. “We've got a situation here that has gotten really serious, son, and we needed to know that you were aight, that's all.”

Stacy scrunched his face up, stood up and flipped the chair back around, sat down again and started rubbing his chin. “Say what?”

Sparkle accepted the blunt from Stacy after he had taken a few draws. “There's some folk out here that might go after you to get to us.” He leaned back and waited for the explosion he knew was about to come.

And true to form Stacy's overhyped ass went off. “Whodafuck ah ah, where da bitch at?”

Sparkle leaned forward, wiped his face and sneered. “Little nigga, chill the fuck down for a sec. The way we see it, that nigga Black Don is trying to stretch out his little empire some more.”

The words had barely gotten out of his mouth before Stacy jumped back up. His nose was sprouting fire and he started pacing the floor, jaws clenching, flexing his fingers and growling; like he was ready to kill a brick. “Man, why yall ain't let me know about this before now? Dayum, unk, that's that's fucked up, yo.”

Rainbow braced his hands on the table to get up but Sparkle held his hand up to stop him. He had this. He walked right in his path and stopped. Stacy tried to walk around him. It wasn't happening, as Sparkle put a hand on his shoulder and looked him straight in the eyes. “Come on, man, you know me.”

Stacy waved his head from side to side. Sparkle paused and moved his head from side to side along with him until Stacy stopped moving. He added briskly, “You know me, right?”

Stacy blinked a couple of times before he pinched his nose and took a deep breath. “I'm gonna handle mine, unk, you know that's right.” He tried to look away, knowing damn well that his uncle could see right through any bullshit. He certainly wasn't buying accepting the role of him being some type of pussy nigga.

Sparkle felt the fire was boiling in his gut, clasped his chin and made him face him. He narrowed his eyes, staring intently at Stacy. “Right, I said, right?”

Stacy turned away for a moment to regain his composure, took a deep breath, rotated his neck a few times and then he finally nodded okay.

Sparkle, feeling relieved he'd calmed him down some, continued. “Okay, now put your emotions to the side for a second and listen to me, good
'cause we done thought this thing through carefully. Ya wid me here?”

“Yeah, unk, I'm wid ya but…”

“Naw, partner, ain't no buts here. How many times I got to tell ya, ya can't hear what I'm saying if you thinking about what you're gonna say?”

Stacy took another deep breath. “Okay, okay, go ahead I'm listening.”

Sparkle cleared his throat, gave a short cough. “Good, we need you to hang out with the girls til we get this nigga.”

Stacy frowned. “You want me to play punk. Is that what it is? I ain't no punk, unk. Naw, fuck that shit there.”

Rainbow had heard enough. “Naw, stud, it ain't about you playing punk or nothing like that. We know that you got a big heart; hell, the heart of a lion, for sho. That's why we need a thorough thug to be with the girls in case that bitch-ass nigga send his crew. Ya feel me?”

Stacy dipped into his pocket for his sunglasses, wiped his hand across his face before he put them on. “So y'all gangstas want me to ride shotgun for some hoes.” He cleared his throat. “So I can stay out of the line of fire, right? Shit sounds like playing punk to me.”

Rainbow shook his head and gave him one of his hundred-watt smiles and sniffled. “Hell naw, man, for one, I don't allow no punks around me period; and two, we need a strong soldier type of nigga, with some muthafucking heart to make sure that don't nothing happen to the girls. A nigga that ain't gonna run when it gets hot.”

Knowing that they were mostly referring to Violet and Mercedes, Stacy yanked off his glasses, took a few steps back and cocked his head to the side. “What about your girls then? Who's gonna be with them?”

No sooner had the words left his mouth, when the door pushed open and a crew of five flashy honeys strode through the door. Led by Lady and Clara, all talking at the same time, they spread all around the room flopping tiredly on couches and chairs. Once settled they took guns from different parts of their bodies and placed them beside their hips.

Rainbow harrumphed and swept his arm around the room. “Answer your question? I think these bitches will be aight.”

“Yeah, I guess so,” Stacy said as he eyed the deadly looks in their eyes. He was to stunned to say anything else.

“Yeah, they'll be aight.” Rainbow repeated as he thumped him with a backhand to the chest and followed it up with a quick wink.

Stacy accepted the slight blow with a leery smile. “Mmm-hmm, but what about Mercedes? That little bitch still be acting like she pissed at me for pulling that fake robbery on her.”

Sparkle turned his mouth down. “She aight.”

Stacy was doubtful. “She aight?”

Sparkle pushed him on the shoulder. “Yeah, and stop repeating everything I say, damnit.”

Stacy laughed. “Aight, so what y'all gonna be doing while I'm…” He paused to cross his arms across his chest. “While I'm playing babysitter with these grown-ass women?”

Rainbow shook his head disgustingly. “Aw, youngun, can you please stop bitching so much? We're in the middle of setting a trap for this nigga that he ain't gonna be able to slither out of; rest assured of that there.”

Stacy smirked. “Yeah, like y'all did out there in Jonesboro, huh?”

Rainbow's eyes shifted toward Sparkle
. Naw, he didn't let him know about that shit
. He turned full faced to him, ran his eyes up and down his body and hunched his shoulders.

Sparkle gave him a weak smile, licked his lips and opened his mouth to try to explain before swallowing his weak excuse and lowering his eyes to the floor.

Just in time to rescue him, Violet, Yolanda and Mercedes came strutting through the door like
Rip the Runway
models with their arms full of shopping bags. Grinning like Cheshire cats, they walked up to Sparkle. Violet lifted his face and kissed him on the chin. “Ugh, somebody needs to shave. Whatz up, sweetie? I got you a little something.” She froze, mouth agape when she saw the look on his face. “Aw damn, what have I done now?”

He stared at her with unblinking eyes, took the bags out of her hands, placed them on the floor and motioned them to take a seat.

Yolanda set her bags beside the couch, sat down on the arm of the couch and crossed her legs. Mercedes set hers down as well, but stood there with her hands on her hips staring angrily and pouting at Stacy. “Whaddafuck he doing here?”

Stacy looked at Rainbow and Sparkle and hunched his shoulders with a “I told y'all so” expression on his face.

Sparkle cleared his throat loudly. Mercedes kept gritting on Stacy. He picked her up like she was light as a feather and placed her on the arm of the love seat. Not too rough but with enough force to let her know that he was dead serious. She got the message but that still didn't keep her from pouting. She blinked with blurry eyes but he wasn't having it. He wasn't in the mood nor did he have the time to put up with her female ego.

Once he'd stared her down into submission, he started pacing back and forth. “Okay, sweethearts, this is what's going on.” Sparkle continued to pace but was forced to hold back a smile that threatened to crack his face with all eight girls' heads following him like they were watching a tennis match.

He flicked his arms at Rainbow for some help. Rainbow twisted his mouth to the side and looked away. He was trying to keep from laughing with the way that he kept clenching his jaws.
You on your own, dog,
Sparkle felt him saying with his eyes.

So he took a deep breath. “Stacy here is gonna hang with y'all for a while.” He paused when he noticed their faces turn from one of curious puzzlement to straight-up anger. He didn't let that deter him though. “Ain't no need for y'all looking like that. Ya'll ladies belong to us so you might as well get those pouts off your faces. That's right, you, too, Yolanda. Not only that, y'all are our best friends too and we ain't about to leave y'all all by y'all selves, pure and simple as that. And that is until we handle some things we got to take care of.” One by one they lowered their eyes.

Rainbow finally came to his aid and stood up beside him, bringing his pacing to a halt. “All y'all got to do for a couple of days or so, uh, maybe even a little longer, is go on cell phone calls. Four of y'all ride with Stacy here; four stay here, unless we need y'all for a role or two.”

Violet, being the veteran hustler that she was, raised her hand like a schoolkid. “Hey, man, all due respect and all to Your Pimp- ship.” She could hardly keep a straight face as she cut her eyes at his girls sitting around praising his very existence. “Okayeeee, and I feel ya on this, really I do, but I ain't about to hide in no shadows while my star nigga here is out there dodging bullets. This honey here don't roll like that, sorry.” She leaned forward, resting her elbows across her knees and directed her attention at Sparkle. “Of all people you know damn well that I've got to be with you regardless.”

Sparkle stood staring at her, feeling good that old gal was ready to ride and die with him, but he knew he needed her to run herd over the girls. He knew she was gonna take over anyway.

The look on his face let her know that she had struck a nerve, but the look in his eyes let her know that she wasn't going with him either. He ran an index finger under his nose. “Baby, I know how you feel and everything but I can't let ya roll on this one here.”

She sighed her disappointment, but when she when she looked at Stacy and then the girls, she understood. “Okay, man, I feel where you're coming from.”

Yolanda, who had been quiet the whole time, finally spoke. “Hey, I know that shit done damn near run its course, but does that mean that we can't go get the last of that free money at the skin house?”

Rainbow burst out laughing. “Naw, Yo, it don't mean that. Y'all just make sure that y'all stay together. Ya feel me?”

Sparkle could see Mercedes's devious little mind working overtime. She wouldn't oppose him in front of everybody, but there was no doubt she was anxious to get him alone to work some of her female magic. He'd have to disappoint her this time though, because he and Bow were going to get out of there before she got the chance to do so.

Rainbow patted Stacy on the shoulder and headed for the bedroom to get the saddle bag containing the coke they needed to cook up along with their guns and jackets. He came back in the room directing his attention toward Stacy again. “Yo, partner, now that we've got that settled, we really gotta roll. You cool, right?”

He didn't wait for a reply and tossed Sparkle one of the jackets and turned to Yolanda. “Where is your man, girl?”

Yolanda traced her index finger along her bottom lip, pursing them and popped them a couple of times. “Playa, your guess is as good as mine. I thought he was with y'all.”

Sparkle and Rainbow frowned at each other, gave the girls one last grit and headed for the door. Those remaining sat around
mumbling in groups for several moments before Stacy said, “Shit, ain't no need for us to sit around here looking all crazy and shit. Violet, break out those cards, girl. Anybody down for some Spades?” Oh hell, did that ever get them excited.

Several hours later, Violet was lounging on the couch with her legs crossed, relaxing between games, trying to concentrate on Erica Kane's umpteenth excuse for getting another divorce on
All My Children.
It wasn't an easy task because of the constant bickering coming from the loud-ass Spades game between Stacy, Mercedes, Yolanda and Lady. The other girls were lounging along with Violet watching the soaps and passing joints of speed ball. Everybody was trying to kill some time and ease the boredom.

Violet thought about going to Joyce's beauty shop to get some stuff done but she didn't know if she was still out working those Jamaican drug dealers in College Park. “Damn, that girl must like living on the edge. That's a really dangerous habit she's got of ripping folk off. One of these days…” she mumbled under her breath. She didn't want to think of the consequences of what might happen if baby girl ever got jammed doing that crazy stuff. She had to admit that girly was sho nuff good at her game. She worked that innocent image to perfection and those fools never even suspected that she was the one that got them.

The boys had been gone for quite awhile now and Violet was beginning to wonder why none of her regular customers hadn't called. She raised the corner of her blouse to make sure the batteries were charged on her cell phone. They were. Flipping her wrist she peeked at her ladies Omega watch, amongst the gold, silver and ivory bracelets adorning her arm, sighing in resignation to the boredom that was starting to get next to her. Her eyes shifted restlessly between the television, card game and toying with her jewelry. She started waggling her legs apart, bumping
her knees together, thinking that something had to give before she went stir crazy worrying and bugging.