Fifteen

What happened?” Apple asked Kola. “What did he say to you?”

“We just talked and had dinner.”

“That’s all?” Apple looked at her sister in wonder.

“Yes, there was no threat from him.”

“I don’t believe it. Y’all just ate and talked? About what?”

“We talked about everything.”

“Everything? What the fuck you talkin’ about, Kola? You told this nigga all of our damn business?”

“No, I’m not stupid. He just wanted to get to know me—actually, us.”

“Well, I don’t want to get to know him.”

Apple was dumbfounded. She didn’t believe Mack D wanted to meet with her sister just to talk. Deep in her heart, she knew he was plotting something. But she was glad that Kola came back home to her safe and sound. While Kola was away risking her life, Apple was extremely worried and concerned. If anything had happened to Kola, Apple wouldn’t have stopped until everybody in Mack D’s organization was dead.

The two sat in the living room to talk. The kids were in the bedroom sleeping. Apple had covered and lied for her sister. When Kamel called looking for her earlier that afternoon, Apple told him she went to the park with the kids and left her cell phone at the house. He believed her.

“I still can’t believe you went to go see him,” Apple said.

“I had to.”

“You didn’t have to do shit. That was a huge risk you took.”

“I know, but I learned a couple things.”

“Like?”

“Like, until he trusts me there’s no way I’m getting near him holding heat. His goons gave me a full pat down.”

“You had to expect that.”

“I did. My challenge is to get him to allow me in his presence without the security check.”

“What else?”

“I learned that he has a massive ego.”

“Don’t most get-money niggas?”

Kola nodded. “But there’s an underlining insecurity attached to him. It’s a weakness. I have to make him believe that out of everyone I’ve known, his accomplishments are the most impressive.”

“More than Eduardo?”

“Yup.”

“Good luck wit’ that.” Apple chuckled.

Kola began giggling as well, and then got serious. “I don’t think I did a good job today earning his trust.”

“Why you feel that?”

“Just a gut feeling. There were so many emotions I had to process, but I have to just stay focused, despite my true feelings for him.”

“Promise me that you won’t make a move on this nigga, any move, without consulting with me first.”

“No doubt.”

“Kola, seriously. We always have been smart, and we got each other now. We work better together than against each other.”

Kola took this opportunity to go and retrieve the coats from out of her room. She came back inside the living room and tossed both coats at Apple’s feet. A huge grin spread across Apple’s face. Immediately she reached for the red one.

“This me?” Apple tried on the mink coat and ran her fingers over the soft, natural fibers. “I like the purple one too, though.”

Kola smiled. “Well, I didn’t buy them.”

“Who then? Jamel? Kamel?”

Kola shook her head and Apple finally caught on.

“I don’t want anything from him, Kola!” Apple removed the coat and flung it across the room. “Can’t you see what he’s trying to do?”

“I do, Apple. I’m not stupid. I know this coat comes with strings attached, but we have to play the game.”

“No we don’t.”

“Well, I do. I have to keep our enemies close. Trust me. I know what I’m doing. This all plays out one way, and that’s with Mack D dead. Either now or the near future.”

“So why can’t we just kill that muthafucka? Why this game?”

“You know it’s not that easy, Apple. Mack D ain’t some block-hugging thug.”

“And we ain’t block-hugging bitches. We can do this. You and I, together. Us.”

“We can’t because we finally have someone to live for. We have to do things right because we have three kids that love and need us, alive. We can’t take any chances. Not one. And I have to make you see that, Apple. We’re parents now. That means something.”

Apple lit a cigarette and took a few drags. She looked at her sister with a kind stare and said, “I like this, Kola—what we got going between us. I missed this, and I don’t want this to end.”

“I don’t want it to end either, Apple.”

“I will always have your back.”

“Same here,” Kola replied.

Apple smiled at Kola. She melted Apple with a grin that took her back to when they were kids. Though Apple was forty-six minutes older, Kola was somewhat her teenage idol in many ways growing up. Kola did everything first, cutting her own path and making her own way. She didn’t need to depend on anyone or listen to anyone, especially Denise. Kola accomplished a lot at an early age, thrusting herself into the street life and becoming the first lady of a fierce drug crew in their area.

Kola envied her sister in some ways. Apple had a child, and she didn’t. Apple didn’t know that the gynecologist had informed Kola years ago that it would be difficult to have children due to scarring in her fallopian tubes caused by an untreated STD. Her wild lifestyle had caught up to her.

She kept it a secret from everyone she had fallen in love with, always hoping that she would conceive. It was a painful and haunting feeling. So she grew to love Peaches and the siblings greatly. Where she once felt a huge void, the children had filled it sevenfold. They were a beautiful distraction from her unbearable issues.

Kola felt that she needed to protect Apple from Apple. If she didn’t, Apple would become a victim to the inevitable—her own self-destruction. Apple was a mother now, but she still had some kinks inside of her.

***

Kamel stepped into the living room and looked at the sisters bonding. He had his cell phone in his hand and looked upset about something.

Kola looked his way and asked, “Is everything okay, baby?”

“Yeah, everything’s cool. Jamel’s on his way over.”

“He is?” Apple perked up. “Is he okay?”

“Yeah, he’s cool.”

Kola on the other hand, looked cheerless about the news. She didn’t want to see Jamel, not after he tricked her into having sex with him. She wished he stayed where he was at.

***

Jamel pulled into the driveway. Ana was in the passenger seat and still frowning. It had been a quiet drive from Queens to the bottom of Staten Island. Both of them looked at the Staten Island home like they’d just swallowed a sour lemon. It was quaint, to say the least.

“This is it?” Ana fussed.

“Kamel said to bring you here.”

Ana sighed with irritation. Ana was a five-star bitch. From clothes to shoes, she didn’t accept anything but the best. She didn’t want to be there, preferring to wait around for PJ. However, she was also excited to see Kamel again.

Jamel climbed out of the car, and Ana followed.

Right on cue, Kamel came walking out of the front door and glared at Jamel. He wanted to put his fist through his brother’s face. How could he be so ignorant? But then his frown changed into a smile when he set his eyes on Ana.

Jamel walked around the car to his brother looking stoic.

Ana smiled. Her face still showed violent signs of abuse, but behind the mask of mistreatment, she was a beautiful woman. She stood five seven with dark, shoulder-length hair, and caramel skin. Ana was a young, vibrant twenty-year-old.

Apple and Kola walked outside to see who had pulled up in the driveway. Apple uttered, “Who the fuck is this bitch!”

Kola arched her eyebrow as she watched Kamel hug the young girl with a wide smile.

The twins stepped off the porch, both ready for a confrontation if it came down to it.

“Who is she?” Apple asked abrasively, frowning.

Jamel stepped between Ana and the twins and said, “She’s our baby sister.”

“Baby sister?” Apple and Kola said simultaneously.

Ana looked at the twins with a steely glare. She was quiet. Even with her face beaten, she still stood with assertiveness and cockiness.

“Why didn’t you tell us that y’all had a sister?” Kola asked.

“I’m telling you now. Anyway, she’s staying with us because she needed to get out of Queens. She needs our protection,” Jamel stated.

“Protection from who or what?” Apple asked.

Jamel didn’t bother to answer her question. He said to Ana, “I’ll show you inside,” like it was his place and he had been staying there. He walked away from Apple and Kola, leaving Apple hanging on dumbfounded by his bold action and shooting Kamel a curt look.

“This muthafucka!” Apple uttered with contempt.

Everyone turned in their direction and followed behind Jamel inside the residence.

Jamel looked around and said, “It’s decent. Not your usual style, Kamel, but it’s cool.”

“We need to talk,” Kamel said to his brother in a gruff voice.

“I know.”

Kamel stood near his brother like a savage dog ready to pounce on an unwanted intruder, his eyes burning into his brother’s flesh.

Jamel smiled at Ana and said, “You good here. Get to know the girls. Me and bro gotta talk ’bout something for a moment.”

Jamel and Kamel went down into the small, dank basement to talk privately, leaving Ana alone with the twin sisters.

“So you their little sister, huh? Why they never mentioned you before?” Apple asked. “Why come around now?”

“I don’t know. Ask them,” Ana said with a sharp attitude. “And who are y’all?”

“I’m Jamel’s girlfriend,” Apple quickly let known.

“My brother doesn’t have girlfriends,” Ana said with a prickly smirk.

“Well he has one now, bitch!” Apple snapped.

Ana waved her hand in the air dismissively and replied, “Cute.”

Instantly, Kola didn’t like this bitch and didn’t want any parts of the entire arrangement. There was something about Ana that immediately rubbed her the wrong way.

“Don’t think your brothers will save you and your slick ass mouth, because you will get beat the fuck up in here.” Apple stepped closer invading Ana’s space. “You already look like you on the losing end of someone’s fist. Trust, you don’t want to go a couple rounds wit’ me.”

Ana looked past Apple to Kola and asked, “So where do I stay? It ain’t like I wanna be here anyway.”

Ana was under the impression that the sisters were supposed to kiss her ass, like the past girlfriends of her brothers.

“I’ll show you where you’re gonna sleep,” was the only thing Kola said to her.

The small three-bedroom house was bursting at the seams. How could it hold seven, possibly eight people? Kola hoped that this beef would blow over soon so she could go back to the downtown Manhattan condo with all its amenities.

Ana followed behind Kola, while Apple stood in the hallway, brooding. Any other bitch would have gotten her teeth knocked out.

***

Once they were alone in the basement, Kamel shocked his brother with a right hook to the side of his face, and Jamel went flying backwards. Before Jamel could get his footing, Kamel was on him like white on rice. Kamel grabbed him by his collar and slammed him into the wall, shouting, “What the fuck is wrong with you? What the fuck did you do?”

“Yo, nigga, get ya fuckin’ hands off me! You crazy, nigga!” Scowling, Jamel quickly pushed Kamel off him.

“I told you PJ was connected!”

“I ain’t do shit, nigga! It wasn’t me!”

“Nigga, don’t fuckin’ lie to me. The streets are lit up. State Troopers found his body in the trunk of his car still warm.”

“I told you it wasn’t me. I had nothing to do wit’ that shit. I just went and picked up Ana, and he was already gone when I got there,” Jamel stated almost convincingly.

Kamel was fuming. His fists clenched, he continued glaring at his brother. Kamel found it hard to believe, knowing his brother’s violent and murderous reputation.

Jamel rubbed the side of his face, soothing his jaw. He was okay. He gave his brother a pass for the sucker punch. Anyone else would have immediately seen the end of his gun barrel.

“What happened in Queens?” Kamel asked.

“I don’t know. It ain’t like that nigga was a fuckin’ saint, Kamel. PJ was an asshole, and he had enemies. Fuck him! I’m glad he’s dead. Look what he did to Ana’s face. But I didn’t do it. I never saw the nigga.”

Kamel didn’t know what to believe. He started to pace back and forth in front of Jamel. No matter what he believed, Kamel had sense enough to know that PJ’s death was about to blow back on them. It was a good thing he got his family out of Brooklyn; his next step was moving them out of state until things cooled over.

“Look, you need to calm the fuck down in these streets and fuckin’ think before you react,” Kamel said.

“I do think, nigga. I’m thinkin’ about our future and surviving out there while you in here tryin’ to play fuckin’ house.”

Kamel tightened his face and stepped closer to his brother. If he said anything disrespectful about Kola, he was going to hit him again. No one was going to say or do anything foul to his woman.

“You just don’t get it, nigga. You never will,” Kamel said.

Jamel chuckled like he didn’t give a fuck what his brother said. He was in the streets making a name for himself, trying to make money.

“Look, I gotta go. I got things to do. We finished here?” Jamel asked.

“Yeah, we finished.”

“I love you too, bro.” As Jamel walked away, he purposely bumped into his brother and left the basement.

Kamel stood there for a moment and thought about the consequences of his brother’s actions and thought, what now?