21

Maxine scurried around the penthouse trying to prepare for her meeting with her extortionist. She needed to keep Wacka quiet, but his blackmail was driving her crazy. She couldn’t function and she couldn’t think straight. Every day it felt like she was living on borrowed time. The pressure was building and building. She thought, if she managed to pay them their five million dollars, what would stop them from coming at her for more? They were always going to want more money from her as their greed continued to grow. She was their meal ticket to a life of luxury.

Maxine stared at the leather satchel that was filled with money—$990,000 to be exact. It was enough cash to run away with and start a brand new life somewhere in another state. She could say fuck this and leave—somehow ditch the men who were watching her and get on a bus and travel far away—maybe the west coast, maybe the Midwest. Who would think to look for her there? She could live a simple life under a new identity, change her look and change her lifestyle.

Maxine turned her eyes away from the satchel of money and started to think realistically. If she ran away with loose ends, she would always be looking over her shoulder no matter what state she was in. Once the truth about what she had done was out there, Scott wouldn’t sleep until he had her murdered. Yes, he would most likely be confined to prison for a lifetime, but he still had clout and resources everywhere, and, most of all, there were his children. They would want to hunt her down and avenge their siblings’ deaths. Lucky would probably become the most relentless and vicious one to try and track her down. She never liked Maxine in the first place.

Running away was not an option. She would have to deal with Wacka and her secret until she came up with a permanent way of handling it. There was only one way she could think of, and that was somehow killing Wacka and his bitch.

Maxine grabbed her long mink coat for the cold outside but quickly put it back. She wouldn’t make the same mistake twice. She wrapped her wool pea coat around her petite frame, picked up the satchel, and left her penthouse suite. She was to meet with the extorting couple in an hour.

The cold air was aggressive, so Maxine hurried into the backseat of the SUV with the tinted windows and closed the door. Her two armed guards were up front. Avery turned toward her and asked, “Where to?”

She needed them to take her to West Side Highway, at Pier 86. Once again, Tarsha wanted to meet in a public place.

Maxine didn’t reply right away. The SUV sat idling in front of her building. She wanted to ask them a question. She was desperate to do something. “I need to ask you two a question.”

“What is it?” Mason asked dryly.

“If I needed y’all to do something for me, would y’all be able to do it and keep it a secret between us?”

They had no idea where this was going, but Mason responded first. “Whatever you need from us, we gotta clear it with Bugsy first, and Bugsy might gotta clear it wit’ Scott. We do what they tell us. You understand?”

Maxine needed to push further. “I’m Scott’s woman and I need something done that doesn’t need to get back to Bugsy or Scott.”

Again, Mason replied. “Miss, we have strict orders from the top, and unless the boss tells us differently, then we react on that. No disrespect to you.”

Maxine continued with, “And I don’t want anyone to feel disrespected. Bugsy is like a son to me, but I don’t want to involve him in this petty issue that I have going on. He already has too much to deal with. And Scott has his own problems. What if I say there’s money in it for y’all? Could we keep it among ourselves?”

The driver, Avery, spoke. “How much we talkin’ ’bout?”

Mason rapidly uttered, “It don’t matter how much money you throw at us, the boss made it crystal clear that we don’t answer to you. We’re only here to protect you! Capisce!”

Maxine cringed inside. She wanted to rip his throat out. He was making things difficult. He was truly loyal to the family, but it was easy to see that she had Avery’s interest. But he didn’t say another word because of Mason. Mason sat in the front seat with a frown. He was doing his job, but he didn’t care for Maxine at all. He was completely loyal to Scott and Layla. He felt that Maxine was trouble from the beginning. The moment she came around was when everything started to fall apart.

“Just take me to the damn west side—Pier 86,” she snapped.

Avery drove off. Maxine sat in the backseat and frowned. Avery answered to Mason, Mason answered to Bugsy, and Bugsy answered to his father. That was the chain of command. So where did that leave her?

It was early afternoon when Avery stopped the truck in front of Pier 86 in the Hell’s Kitchen neighborhood. The place was open to the public and home to the Intrepid Sea, Air and Space Museum.

“I’ll be right back. Stay here,” Maxine told the two men.

“We need to come wit’ you,” said Mason.

“I said I’ll be okay. Stay here!” she commanded harshly.

Mason looked reluctant, but he relented. Maxine climbed out of the truck and looked around. It was cold and the area was sparsely occupied with folks. She walked toward the pier carrying the satchel. She could feel Mason and Avery’s eyes tracking her from behind. She knew they were watching her closely. She felt nervous and reluctant to pay these fools again, but she didn’t have a choice. Until she could find someone to handle her problem, this was going to be it.

She paid the admission and walked into the museum. There were a few folks inside the massive structure, mostly tourists exploring the place—wholesome families with children. Maxine looked at the white folks for a few, thought about her own future, felt some sadness, and then she proceeded with her business. She was to meet Tarsha at the food court.

There the bitch was, seated at a table alone. Maxine locked eyes with her and felt reluctant to hand her nearly one million dollars in cash. She had to take a deep breath. Maxine walked toward her, her eyes transfixed on Tarsha. She noticed since their first meeting at One Police Plaza, Tarsha’s upkeep had significantly improved. She observed the Jimmy Choo heels, the Prada purse, the diamond earrings, and the diamond rings and bracelet, and the fifteen-hundred-dollar leather coat. Maxine knew it all came from her money. That bitch was living well off of her, buying nice shit. It bothered her.

Maxine sat opposite Tarsha, and their hatred for each other was palpable. Maxine placed the satchel on the floor near her feet and nudged it closer to Tarsha’s reach. She secured it in her hand. The smirk on Tarsha’s face started to make her angry.

“This is it. Nothing else will come after this,” she said.

“Bitch, you don’t give out demands. We say it ends when we want it to end. And this don’t look like five million,” Tarsha replied.

“It’s almost a million. Be grateful!”

“You think this is a fuckin’ game?”

“No, but until Scott is either acquitted or convicted, I have nothing else to give you.”

“We will fuck up your life, bitch! You keep comin’ up short wit’ our money, and we will destroy you,” Tarsha griped.

“Look, I’m done! So you can go ahead and tell Scott. But let me remind you of something. If you do, then your gravy train with me ends. Because he will kill me and he will kill you and Wacka, and your son. At least with me alive, there will be more cash coming in if he gets acquitted. Besides, if you’ve been watching the news, then you would understand that his money is tied up right now. The feds froze his accounts, and I don’t have access to any of his illegal funds,” Maxine explained.

“Bitch, I don’t want to hear all that. That’s your fuckin’ problem, not ours! Now you better start coming correct, or we—”

Tarsha didn’t get to finish her threat. Something inside Maxine snapped. She leapt from her seat and charged at Tarsha like a beast from the jungle. Her clenched fist collided with Tarsha’s face and it felt like she broke her nose. Tarsha toppled over in the chair. She couldn’t get her footing quick enough. Maxine was on top of her with repeated punches. It was weeks of frustration and pent-up anger finally being released, and Tarsha was on the end of an ass-whooping. Blood flew everywhere.

“Fuck you, bitch! I’m tired of your shit!” Maxine yelled.

Her punches were solid, like Iron Mike Tyson. Tarsha had never felt anything like it. She’d underestimated the bitch. She felt her face smashing into the floor, her eyes swelling, and her beautiful wardrobe being torn up by Maxine’s abrupt attack. She was being pulverized.

“Get off her!” Maxine heard him yell.

It was Wacka coming out of nowhere to aid his woman. He tried to attack Maxine, but he couldn’t get a grip around her with missing fingers.

Tarsha was still underneath her attacker, screaming her head off. “Get this bitch off me! Get her off me!” she yelled.

A slight crowd started to gather around the altercation. They stood aghast at the scuffle happening in such a family oriented place. Who were these two women? And why were they fighting each other? It was chaos and they weren’t going to stand for it.

“Someone, hurry and call the police,” a voice shouted from the crowd.

“You bitch! Don’t fuck with me!” Maxine screamed. Her fist smashed into Tarsha’s face one last time before two men rushed in to break up the scuffle and pull them apart.

During the chaos, the satchel filled with the money remained unattended; it had been kicked around and tossed to the side. No one but the two girls was any wiser to what was inside. Now that they had been pulled apart, Maxine was able to compose herself, while Tarsha looked a bloody mess. Max breathed heavily and knew it was time to go. She noticed the satchel nearby. She picked it up and could have easily left with it, but she decided to throw it at Wacka, shouting, “Take your fuckin’ money and leave me the fuck alone!”

Clumsily, he tried to catch it, but his hands failed him and he let it fumble to the floor. Maxine was keen and watched him try to pick up the bag with his gloved hands. It was awkward. He seemed all thumbs. Why? She shrugged it off and made her escape before the cops came.

Tarsha and Wacka fled the area too—almost a million dollars richer. But Tarsha was fuming. Maxine had put her hands on her, and now she really wanted to make that bitch pay.