Hard White

Miss Tina was out late on the town and was just getting in. She got out of her ride and dressed in low form fitting skirt and a black butter soft leatherjacket that showed off her ample breasts.

“Stop it Charlie,” she gushed, smiling she acknowledged the compliment. “I tell you a thing or two Charlie Rock, you’re too much. You’re too damn much.”

Charlie Rock bit his lower lip and openly gawked at Miss Tina. With extra sashay in her hips, she seductively strolled by. He couldn’t help but reminisce over their brief relationship a long time ago.

Miss Tina entered her building and quickly walked up the stairs. Her high heels were beginning to hurt, so she took them off. She rushed down the hallway to her apartment door.

Two men with their backs pressed up against the wall, silently stalked her. When she passed them, they eased out of the stairwell, preparing to strike.

Miss Tina placed her key in the lock cylinder, and unlocked the door. Two men pounced on her, bumrushing her apartment door. She was tackled from behind and two gun toting thugs, barged inside. Miss Tina fell on the floor face first. She recovered just in time to see one thug bearing down on her, and the other closing the door.

“Ah… What y’all want with me, huh?” Miss Tina shrieked. “What’s going on? Why are y’all doing this?”

“Bitch you already know what it is! Just shut da fuck up before you fuck aroun’ and turn it into a homicide,” the gunman said, waving his gun.

Miss Tina watched both gunmen quickly walking through the apartment. One gunman checked inside the bathroom, both bedrooms and the kitchen. The other kept an eye on Miss Tina. Once the coast was clear Justice reached down and snatched Miss Tina off the floor by her hair.

“Bitch, I don’t told ya, shut your fuckin’ mouth! One more word outta you and I’ll personally shoot you,” the gunman growled, holding the gun to her head.

“Bitch, I already know ya son ain’t here,” he said, pushing her down in a chair. “I need to know where he is.”

“Bitch, you taking too wid da fuckin answers… That means you lyin’. Where’s ya bitch-ass son, lady?”

“I don’t know?” Miss Tina answered in a cooperative tone. “Take anything you want. Please, leave me alone.”

“In his room… There’s a Nike box filled with money. Look in the closet. Take it and go, please.”

The gunman snatched Miss Tina up off the floor and threw her roughly into the chair. Miss Tina sat paralyzed by her fear, trying her best not to make eye contact. She feared that the gunmen might try to kill her to protect their identity. The other gunman returned with the shoebox filled with cash.

“Ol’ head, you don’t look too bad,” the gunman smiled, lecherously admiring Miss Tina’s body. “You lucky I ain’t into takin’ pussy like that. That ain’t my M.O. But if I was doin’ that, you could certainly get it. Ha, ha.”

The gunman let out a sinister laugh that sent chills down Miss Tina’s spine. She didn’t know if he would act on his animalistic impulses. This kind of talk seriously disturbed her.

“Stop lookin’ scared, bitch. I don’t wanna fuck you,” Justice roared. “But you tell that bitch-ass son of yours, he next!”

On the way out the apartment, he bashed her in the head with the butt of his weapon, and stepped over Miss Tina’s unconscious body. They used the urine soaked stairway as an escape out the building, disappearing into the dead of a dark project’s night.

A woozy Miss Tina awoke an hour later. She was lying on the floor with an intense migraine headache. Struggling to get to her feet, Miss Tina’s legs were rubbery, and she collapsed on the sofa. Miss Tina reached for the house phone that sat on a nearby coffee table. Her first instinct was to dial Melquan. She dialed her son’s cellphone, but it went straight to his voicemail. Melquan had turned his phone off for the night. Miss Tina tried repeatedly called, but only got his outgoing message.

She was so angry that she hung up without leaving a message. Unable to reach her son, Miss Tina dialed for Mike Copeland.

“Mike…” Miss Tina blurted into the phone. “I need you to get in touch with Melquan. I been robbed!”

Mike Copeland was the first to arrive at Miss Tina’s apartment. He had already alerted Melquan to the situation by calling India’s home phone. Melquan was on his way. The door was still slightly ajar when Mike Copeland entered the ransacked place.

Mike walked into the apartment gun in hand as if he were expecting to be ambushed. Once he saw the faint Miss Tina slumped down in the chair, he put his weapon away and rushed to her aide.

“Miss Tina, you okay? Who did this to you? How it happened?” Mike Copeland bombarded Miss Tina with questions.

Mike did all he could to calm Miss Tina. He tried to aid her with the knot she had on the back of her skull. It wasn’t enough. Miss Tina demanded to know why her son wasn’t there. Why he wasn’t the first person to come rushing through the door, and to her aide? Why he wasn’t there to protect her from harm?

There were many questions swimming in her still aching head, Miss Tina was in a foul mood by the time Melquan arrived. He entered the apartment and everyone went silent.

“Oh, there you are!” Miss Tina erupted. “It took you long enough. I coulda been dead and you wouldn’t have known it if it wasn’t for Mike. Thank God for him.”

“I was about to ask you the same question,” he said, getting closer to her. “Did you get a good look at their faces? Whoever did this is fuckin’ dead! You hear me?”

“Melquan, see what you caused. This is all your damn fault. Take all your shit, the cars, the money, the clothes, and get out of my house, please!”

“I wish I never had you! Them niggas came up in my apartment with guns looking for you. And you wasn’t even here to protect me. They could’ve killed me and then what…?”

The question rang and Mike Copeland walked out leaving Melquan alone with his mother. He was surprised by her outburst, but she was still his mother. Miss Tina looked away from him after holding his stare.

“There must’ve been like two of them. They came up behind me, outta nowhere. They took all that money… They acted like they wanted to take my life. It’s all because of you, Melquan.”

“Take all that shit back, Melquan. I’m through with you. The cars, the money, the clothes… Ain’t none of that shit worth dying for. I can’t do it, Melquan. I can’t live like this no more!”

Miss Tina turned her head away from Melquan. He stared at the back of her head. Melquan saw her wound, and it angered him even more.

“Ma, I’m sorry you feel that way. I wish this happened to me instead o’ you. But I can’t undo what’s been done. I promise you this though, whoever did this is dead!” he said, walking out the apartment.

After a few tense minutes of trying to defuse the situation, Mike Copeland walked downstairs and caught up with Melquan.

“No doubt, my dude,” Mike said, reassuring him. “You already know I’m wit you. We gone find out who did this. Don’t worry about it, just keep ya composure, my dude.”

They went out into the project and conducted their daily drug operation, hoping that would serve as the bait to lure the robbers to them. If that didn’t work then at least they could question some talkative drug addict or drug dealer about last night’s event.

Melquan was in a murderous mood, but he had no target to unleash his fury on. He kept hoping that it would all change before the day ended. Charlie Rock rolled through the horseshoe, Melquan didn’t acknowledge him. He just wasn’t interested in a long conversation with anyone. For the moment, all the friendliness they shared was dead.

“Not right now, Unk!” Melquan answered. “I ain’t in da mood. I got sumthin on my mind and I ain’t really myself today.”

“Nephew, what I gotta say is more than just idle chitchat. I gotta put a bug in ya ear. But everything ain’t for everybody. Walk over here with me,” Charlie Rock said, directing his wheelchair down the drive. “I’m sorry to hear about that situation with ya mom. How’s Tina doin’?”

“She buggin’ out and I don’t know if the pain is physical or mental right now. Physically, she’ll be alright, but mentally…? I don’t know. She blames me for everythin’. She called me everythin’, but her son.”

“That’s not a good look, but at the same time you can’t take that too personal. That wasn’t your mother speakin’ to you and callin’ you out your name. That was pain mixed with fear,” Charlie Rock said.

“Unk, I’m ready to hurt somebody. I’m fuckin’ ready to show these niggas that I ain’t playin’. These niggas violated my mother. They gotta leave this earth for that!”

“Yeah, and they deserve everything and anything you dish out. Just make sure you get who’s responsible for this. You gotta make the right man bleed. On that note, I think I got sumthin for you. I don’t know if you know this nigga from the north side called Justice…?”

“He a little older than you… Anyway one day he come around here talkin’ about he heard this spot jumpin’ and who gettin’ all the money out here. Askin’ me fifty questions... And he was with another dude a grimy lookin’ muthfucka. You know me, I ain’t telling shit. Ask me, I know that shit. Justice is a well-known stickup kid. He might be worth checkin’.”

Melquan walked alongside him, staring straight ahead. He listened silently to Charlie Rock. His mind seemed to be in accelerated mode. He stared at Charlie Rock and knew his mind was made up. Justice was his prime suspect.

“No, but like I said the one named Justice is from the North Side. I don’t know where he lay his head. But I know his mother still live over there on Grenada Avenue. You know momma’s crib is like magnet. Eventually everyone winds up there.”

Charlie Rock gave him the necessary information and Melquan hit him with a C-note. Melquan signaled to Mike Copeland, and they hurriedly set off together.

“He’s some ol’ school stickup kid. I’m a put a bullet in that muthafucka’s head. Let’s go squat on his mom’s crib!”