Precious had just gotten in from a full day of shopping when Noc-Noc called and informed her that his mother and sisters were in town and they wanted to see Lil’ Trill. Precious didn’t hesitate to let Noc-Noc come pick him up so that she could go back out and do a little more shopping.
When Noc-Noc arrived, ten minutes later, Precious greeted him at the door and invited him in. Noc-Noc’s little sister took Lil’ Trill to the car.
“You cool?” He came in and sat down, something he had never done before.
“I’m good. I just miss Trill, that’s all.” Precious hadn’t heard about what happened to Trill, she thought he was staying away because he was still mad at her.
“I know. I ain’t talk to that nigga in a couple of days myself. I’ve been laying low since that shit happened with dat nigga Seven.”
“What happened?” she inquired, curious to know what Diego had done with the information she had given him.
“Seven locked up.”
“What? Locked up? For what? What happened?” Precious asked, confused.
“Yup, he got bagged. For the past few weeks, he been fucked up. He been having these bad headaches,” Noc-Noc confided in her like she was one of his boys. “Then he got shot about a week ago, and we took him to the best underground doctor money could buy. For some reason his wound got infected. He said fuck it and went to the hospital. They locked him slam the fuck up. So everybody been laying low. Shit is fucked up.”
She shook her head. “Damn, now I am really worried about Trill. I really need to talk to him. I want him to get out of the game, so we can concentrate on my modeling agency.”
“That’s what’s up. Me, I’m just gon’ kick back with the family and live happily ever after,” he said, standing. He looked at his watch, indicating that he was about to go. “What you ’bout to do since you kid-free?”
“Nothing much,” she answered. “I’m tired, but I’m hungry.”
“You should go get you something to eat.”
“I am, I’ll probably go to the Copper Grill or something.”
“You got money?”
“Not really but I got enough to get me something to eat.”
“I’ll treat.” He went in his pocket and gave her a hundred-dollar bill.
“Thank you.” She was surprised because the only women who ever got money from Noc-Noc were his mother and sisters.
“It’s nothing,” he assured her, looking her in the eyes. “Take your time and be careful.”
“I will,” she said, trying to hide her smile.
“All right then,” Noc-Noc said. “I gotta go pick up this rental, so I can take care of one last thing tonight.” He gave her a brotherly hug. “If Trill calls, tell him to hit me up.”
“I will,” she said. After Noc-Noc left, she closed the door and locked it. Damn. She had gotten away with it. Hearing that Seven was locked up was music to her ears. It was only a matter of time before the police would have the whole crew imprisoned and she would be free.
Precious let out a laugh and sang “Bad” by Michael Jackson and started dancing like she was in the “Beat It” video. She had her prosthetic leg going so fast no one would have known that it wasn’t real.
Precious was on top of the world. Diego had doubled the reward money because thanks to Mont she was able to put a place with the name. She was sitting pretty as far as she was concerned. She had her own stash plus Mont was gonna take care of her just like he did before Trill ever came into the picture. It was the best insurance money any girl could have gotten without paying a premium every month.
She didn’t know the outcome for Trill as of yet, but she did know that he wasn’t answering any of his calls. Fuck ’em and feed ’em beans.
About a half hour after Noc-Noc had picked up Lil’ Trill, Precious called Molly.
“Hey, girl, you want to meet for dinner?” Precious asked. “My treat.”
“In that case,” Molly replied, “hell yes.”
“What are you in the mood for?”
“Umm, I don’t know. What are you in the mood for?”
A huge grin came across Precious’ face. “Lobster and steak…the best in town. I deserve it.”
They decided to meet at the Copper Grill, and after taking a bubble bath and getting dressed in one of the outfits she had just purchased, Precious headed out the door. She had the music blasting in the Mercedes-Benz CL600 that Trill had bought for her. As she sat at the stoplight on Main Street, she never heard the tractor trailer approaching her—the vehicle that Noc-Noc had rented. The driver was going fifty-five miles an hour when it ran into the side of the Benz and dragged her car five blocks down the street, leaving Precious unconscious and staring death in the eye. At the impact, the airbags exploded to protect Precious from hurt or harm, but that was damn near impossible. Instead they just trapped her inside the crushed vehicle. The Starbucks coffee that Precious had gotten earlier that morning splattered across the interior of the car while the cup escaped out the window. Too bad Precious wasn’t that lucky. The scraping sound of the metal dragging against the cement made sparks. The accident caused three more accidents.
She was rushed to St. Mary’s Hospital. Once she was out of intensive care, she realized that her life, once again, had been spared.
“Where’s my leg?” she asked the nurse.
“Ummm, I think it was left at the scene of the accident but don’t worry, I’ll help you fill out the paperwork so that the state can provide you with one.”
“A state leg? Oh, hell no! I had the best leg money could buy.”
“Well, maybe you can get one of your family members to go by the scene and see if it’s out there.”
The chaplain walked in and wanted to remind her that it was God’s grace and mercy that saved her. After the chaplain said a prayer for Precious, he left her alone in her room to rest. Shortly thereafter, the nurse brought in a beautiful flower arrangement and a large brown envelope.
As the nurse set the flowers on the bedside table, she asked, “Would you like for me to read you the card?”
“Who else gonna read it?” Precious snapped at the nurse. The nurse looked at the card and didn’t say a word. “What, you tongue-tied? Cat got your tongue?” Precious snapped.
The nurse cleared her throat and read the card out loud:
PAYBACK! PAYBACK!
I remember you from WAYBACK!
XOXO,
Death B4 Dishonor!
At the same time that the nurse was reading the card, Precious had opened the envelope which contained a single picture: Mont staring wide-eyed at the camera, a bullethole in his forehead. His tongue had been cut out of his mouth and was lying beside his corpse with the words “Death Before Dishonor” printed underneath.
Precious started to sob, because she knew she wasn’t safe. Was it Diego who wanted to kill her because he knew she couldn’t be trusted? Or worse? Could Trill still be alive? She knew she had violated in so many ways. She knew Trill’s word was his bond. And she didn’t want to face Trill’s judgment day. Perhaps having her life spared by the mercy and grace of God was a curse more than a blessing. Only time would tell. She would have to wait, always looking over her shoulder, never knowing when she would take her last breath.