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“Okay...I see, naw I ain’t know that. Hell, yuh, we can’t let that muthafucka get away wit’ that shit. Hell naw!” Dirty-Red scanned around the now packed liquor house, observing folks, smiling at some and staring equally hard at the ones he didn’t know trying to figure out just who they were, making sure they were spending money and drinking, trying to spot ball if he could.
He also looked for Wood, it shoulda been a lot easier. Hell, it was his job to scope out the joint anyway, to watch his back, and from the call he’d just got, he damn sure needed him to be on it.
“Yuh, Cocky...I got you. If I see that muthafucka, I’ll call you.”
He stuffed the small cell phone back into his pocket, looked around again, then threw his hands up and said to himself. “Damn, where the hell is this mutha...” Someone tapped him lightly on the shoulder and he spun around abruptly, ready to straight ham, but it was Nikki.
“Wassup, Red?”
“Nuthin’ Nikki, can’t find that goddamned Wood for hell, that’s all. He supposed to be somewhere in this muthafucka. I pay him good money to watch the place. Where the fuck is, he?”
“Something wrong?”
“Naw, not really, just got some word on a muthafucka, that’s all.” Dirty-Red finally spotted him, in the parlor like always up in a woman’s face, tricking and probably beggin’. “Yo’ Wood!”
Wood paid him no mind at first and ignored him. It was only after Dirty-Red hollered out his name a coupla times, that Wood finally responded.
“Wassup, Red?”
Dirty-Red was already up on him, with Nikki close behind, spazzing. “Yo’ man, you supposed to be watchin’ eer’thing. You over here fuckin’ wit’ the pussy. Wassup wit’ that?”
Wood looked behind Dirty-Red at Nikki and said, “Naw, wassup wit’ that?” He turned facing Dirty-Red, sizing him up. “Man, you’ve been bullshittin’ me. You thinkin’ ‘bout leavin’ town and shit, with this broad, ain’t said shit to me ‘bout nuthin’. Now all of a sudden you worried about shit up in here.” He pointed his finger in Dirty-Red’s face. “Fuck that, you look after this muthafucka your damn self!”
Dirty-Red looked at him like he’d lost his goddamned mind. Usually, that same look woulda been enough to back Wood down, but not this time.
“So, what...you feelin’ some sort of way, Wood?” Dirty-Red turned toward his room, laughing it off, thinking maybe he had too many drinks, but Wood stepped in front of him with his hands on his gun.
“Yeah...I am,” Wood admitted.
The place started clearing out quickly as Wood and Dirty-Red stood toe to toe, eye to eye, neither one backing down. Nikki backed up a ways herself, ready for anything. Dirty-Red looked around him, then smirked and slowly back away.
“A’ight...you got that,” Dirty-Red said. Wood took out his gun all the way this time and Dirty-Red nodded. “Naw, don’t worry ‘bout that. You ain’t gotta go there. It’s cool! You this one, Wood, uh...huh, but I tell you what. You need to get your shit and go. Don’t come back, got that son?”
“That’s what it is, but not before I gets my cut.” He looked back over Nikki. “Yeah, I heard, shit everyone knows. Where’s my money, Dirty? Since everyone gettin’ theirs!”
“What the fuck you talkin’ ‘bout, your cut?”
“I know she’s got some money. A couple of grand plus some dope. Now, let’s do this civilized and just let me get a couple grand and we’ll be straight. Just like old times, forget about it huh. I can still work the spot here and...”
“Muthafucka...you done lost your fuckin’ mind for real!” Dirty-Red stepped toward him, his face was flushed red and he was pissed the fuck off.
Nikki stopped him. “No...no, let hem say wat he want.”
Dirty-Red looked at her like she was crazy too, and she continued to push him back.
Wood snickered. “Yeah, you heard the chick...give me, me.”
Nikki turned around and said to him, “I got the money ‘round back. We can give yu a cut, ‘kay.”
She started easing back toward the doorway of the parlor with Dirty-Red by her side. Dirty-Red remembered the .38 he had tucked under the bar and glanced that way, but so did Wood.
“Don’t try to go for the gun either, I’ll blow both your asses away,” Wood spat.
Nikki turned up at him, then said to Dirty-Red. “Giv’ it to hem...coupla gees don’t worry, ‘bout it.”
“I ain’t givin’ that muthafucka shit! Hell, I give him enough as it is now!”
Wood put the gun up in Dirty-Red’s face. “Keep runnin’ your fuckin’ mouth!”
“Man, fuck you, Wood, you ain’t shit anyway!”
“What...what, oh, I ain’t shit...huh? Okay, then...” He felt some cold steel by his earlobe and froze, then looked it was Diplite.
“Muthafucka, you, breath hard and I’ll put a hole in your head. Now, put the goddamned gun down!” Diplite demanded.
Wood looked back over at Dirty-Red and Nikki, then back at Diplite. He ain’t have no wins. He slowly started lowering the gun and copping pleas.
“Yo’ man, Red, just bullshittin’...heh...heh!”
Dirty-Red smiled, looked around the room, then peeped into the back. It was empty, everyone was gone. He sighed, then out the fuckin’ blue backhanded the shit outta Wood.
“Muthafucka, just bullshittin’, huh?” He kicked him in the mouth. “Uh-huh...just like me...kickin’ your ass!”
Nikki pulled Dirty-Red off of him, but Wood still got up talkin’ shit.
“You know what it is Diplite. Don’t know why you actin’ crazy. Hell, you had something to do with this Nikki bullshit, anyway. That nigga, Hulie gonna make sure you pay...either in money...or blood. Real talk, my nigga!”
Diplite pointed the gun back at Wood and hollered. “Get the fuck outta here!”
“Wat hem talk ‘bout, Diplite? Hulie...s’cond time his name done came up!” Nikki said.
“Yuh, Dip...what’s up wit’ that?” Dirty-Red yelled over at him. “Got this muthafucka actin’ crazy.”
They took their eyes off of Wood for a minute, long enough for him to pick up his gun. Diplite was too busy arguing with Dirty-Red and Nikki, mostly Nikki trying to come up with something to tell them. Or else this muthafucka Wood was about to tell it all, at least what he knew anyway. Wood fucked around and pointed the gun at Diplite and squeezed off. Diplite ducked and the bullet ricocheted behind him hitting Dirty-Red’s big ass seventy-five-gallon fishtank. Water exploded all over the place, Wood hid behind the door and fired again. Nikki and Dirty-Red dove for cover on the wet floor, as Diplite started firing back at Wood.
One of his shots caught Wood in the arm and he screamed like hell, then turned and took off running outside the backdoor into the woods. Diplite was right on his ass until he got right to the tree line of the woods, then pulled back and started calling him a hundred pussy muthafuckas. As he squinted his eyes in between the trees trying to get ahead on him. Wood ran through the trees towards the old school house, his face was scratched the fuck up from the branches and shrubbery hitting him upside the head. He’d fell at one point and pumped his arm, it hurt like all hell and throbbing. The bullet probably broke a bone, he didn’t care, all he knew was that Diplite was still close behind him and on his ass. He pulled at the trigger of the gun and all he heard was click...click...click, damn it was empty.
Somehow or another he had to get up with Hulie and let him know what was going on. Luckily for him, he spotted Hulie as he came out of the cut running, tired, bleeding and breathing hard.
He hailed at him. “Hulie...yo’ Hulie!” He kept looking behind him, holding his blood-soaked arm, he was scared.
Hulie got out of his truck and as he came closer to Wood, he said, “Whoa...hold up! Don’t get all that blood and shit on my truck. What happened?” He examined his arm and looked into the woods behind him.
“Man, that muthafuckin’ Diplite shot me!” Wood yelled.
“Shot you!”
“Hell yeah, I was at Dirty-Red’s trying to find out some more shit. You know, about that chick, Nikki.”
“Keep your voice down. What’d you find out?”
“That muthafuckin’ bitch got the money, said she was gonna give me a coupla gees and shit.”
“Damn, no man...”
“Yeah, but when I mentioned your name...”
“You mentioned my name? Damn!” Hulie turned away from him and punched his fist into his palm. “Thought I told you not to?”
“It slipped...sorry ‘bout that, but they still don’t know nuthin’.”
“They know about me...and you, and that’s not good.” He opened the truck door, reached in and pulled out a rag. “I understand though, come here. Let me clean up that blood for you. Damn, Wood, you might need to go to the hospital or something.”
Wood rubbed at his arm and grimaced in pain as Hulie tied a tourniquet around his arm.
“This’ll stop the bleeding. Hey, uh...look in the back seat, there’s some bandages.”
Wood opened the back door and peeped in. “Where at?”
“Look, it’s somewhere.”
“Naw, don’t see none...ackkkk!”
Hulie had his massive arms around Wood’s neck, squeezing tightly. As he tried gulping for air, Hulie held him against the truck so he couldn’t move. As he did so he kept looking around for anyone, making sure he wasn’t being seen. He angled Wood’s body inside and squeezed until he heard his windpipe breaking. Then he finally stopped beating the side of the truck, stopped kicking and resisting.
Hulie said to him tauntingly. “Yeah, that’s it...let it happen, go to sleep. C’mon, now...you fucked up, letting them know I knew what they were trying to do. You know this was coming.” Wood’s body trembled. “Stop fighting, muthafucka...let it go...die. Man, up, Wood...you’s a liability...besides, I got all I needed from you anyway.”
Wood tried to struggle one more time as all the life left his now limp body. Hulie pushed him into the backseat and covered him with an old blanket, then slammed the door shut and looked around again.
“Good,” he said. “No one saw me.”
He jumped into the truck and rummaged through the bag he had packed for the Walterboro trip the other week, pulled out a fresh shirt, stuffed the blood-soaked one he had on in it, and cranked up the truck. He was just about to pull off, and then he saw Diplite come running out of the woods. His gun was tucked down in his waist and he walked slowly to the truck once he realized it was Hulie.
Hulie lowered the window. “Yo’ wassup, Dip? Damn, where the fuck you coming from?”
Diplite glanced into the back seat, then at Hulie who tried to shield his view. “Nowhere special,” Diplite said. “Had to handle some business, that’s all.”
“Really...like what?”
“Look...let’s cut the bullshit. You want me to help you get rid of him or what?”
Hulie grinned out the side of his mouth, then shook his head. “Naw, I’m a’ight.” He nodded one more time as he put the truck in gear.
Diplite back away as he started revving up the gas. “Oh...by the way.” He looked into the back seat again. “Am I next...or what?”
Hulie snickered. “I don’t know, Diplite...I mean, you know how these things happen,” Hulie shot back. “I know one thing...bitch better have my money...”
“Talkin’ ‘bout, Nikki?”
“Let the chips fall where they may, but all of it better be there, kna’mean?”
Diplite stood there looking stupid as the truck backed into the street and sped off. He looked back into the woods toward Dirty-Red’s liquor house.
“I gotta get back and clean this shit up.” He knew Hulie was feeling some sort of way. Wood snitch’s ass told him all he needed to know. “Dumb muthafucka, shoulda kept yo’ fuckin’ mouth shut, and you’d still be breathing. But damn, I wouldn’t have chocked you out, though!”
****
Stacy stared outside the window of the small, inconspicuous shack up from the pier. She’d been at it now for a little over a week. The same thing, every time she heard the roar of an engine from the trucks and cars go by, she peeked. She and Jabari had finally made it to the back road, right after they up the meth lab. Then cranked up the boat and waited. Jason or Smoak never came. They waited until it was just about time for the sun to set to leave for cover. That was also when SLED finally figured out the road they were on and started making their way with the dogs. It was time to go!
They were loaded down with a duffel bag full of cash and a damn rocket launcher. Jabari cleaned it off with his shirt and they tossed it into the swamp. They definitely didn’t want to get caught with it in their possession. The smoke from the fire was getting heavy and it had a real putrid type of stink to it. The chemicals mixing and they couldn’t afford to stay much longer. At any time, ball would probably shoot another helicopter overhead to figure out just where it was coming from, either way, they couldn’t stay.
Smoak and Jason never made it back to the boat landing, so they had to assume they were busted or either dead. Considering all the police, SLED and muthafuckin’ F-B-fuckin’-I, it was damn near impossible for anyone to make it out. Anyone, true, but not that fuckin’ Jason.
“C’mon, now, Stacy he ain’t coming.” She remembered Jabari telling her.
After she dropped Jabari off in the Red Top section, a small fishing town that set off of the inlet. She went to the spot where they’d planned to meet up later on that week. After the heat had died down a bit, and there he was, Jason. He said he didn’t know what had happened to Smoak. He’d said some shit about him running up the road shooting. But the real deal was that had given Jason enough cover to haul ass.
Smoak thought he was coming behind him, but when he found out he didn’t, it was much too later, his bullet-riddled body proved that much. Jason didn’t give a fuck, he wanted to chase behind the money. That’s exactly what he did, he basically said fuck, Smoak. As far as he was concerned that was one less muthafucka they had to split the money with.
“He said he’d be here?”
“Hell, he ain’t even called. Now...” Jason walked over to her and rubbed her back assuringly. “...you’ve given him enough time...damn good time, but Stacy...we gotta go. It’s gettin’ too hot for us to just sit...and wait, especially in South Carolina.”
Stacy turned toward Jason, tears had welled up in her eyes. She started crying for the umpteenth time. “You think he got caught?”
“Can’t rule it out,” Jason informed.
“Okay, ...you’re right.” She let out a deep sigh, then stepped into the bathroom to clean up and put on the disguise she’d made for herself.
The period of mourning was over, she’d already cut her hair and dyed it. But the teeth she had, were optional, with false eyelashes and contacts to boot, she looked like an entirely different person. Jason stood by the window looking up the pier himself. He’d hope Jabari wasn’t caught. He knew too much about them and the whole operation.
“He should have at least called, but he didn’t, something has to be up,” Jason to himself. “Fuck it, no time to dwell, we’ve given him enough time already. Anymore would fuck us up. It ain’t personal, it’s just time to go. Maybe one day, I’ll find out what happened, after all, I do sort of owe him my life.”
Jabari was a real trooper. It was just a crying shame that his girl was killed like that, but that was life. The fucked-up part of it, the part Jason knew, all too well. Stacy stepped out of the bathroom and Jason’s eyebrows raised. She looked damn good, she was glamorous like a baby light movie star or something. She hadn’t gotten high in a while, and her skin had cleaned up, her body was starting to fill out. If Jabari did show up, fuck it, Stacy might be Jason’s prize worth fighting for.
“You ready?” Stacy asked.
“Yeah...time to go. I’ll go crank the boat up.” Jason looked over his shoulder at her and noticed the blouse she had on was thin, and her nipples on her titties poke through it hard. “You might want to put on a sweater...gettin’ chilly outside.”
She smiled at him. “Sures!” She glanced one more time up the pier, then shook it off. She grabbed her bags and Jason loaded them up on the boat and tied them down. They had purchased another much bigger boat to make the trip to Mexico. Especially around the Gulf where the waters were vicious this time of the year. If was a ride that had to be taken. Stacy closed the door and locked it shut behind her.
“G’bye, Jabari,” she said softly under her breath.
Jason shook his head approvingly and cranked up the boat. Stacy hopped aboard and they pulled off.
Under her breath she mumbled, “Mexico sounds damn good...” then she put her shades on and smiled as the green spray tickled her face.
There was a muffled sound heard inside the room after they left, buzzing underneath a blanket. Stacy had left her cell phone, she’d forgotten all about it. She had an automatic speaker voicemail gadget installed, just so she could scan her calls. After the fifth ring it automatically, picked up and the voicemail became audible. Like an answering machine of sorts.
“Stacy...Stacy! Where are you? It’s me, Jabari. Where you at? I still want to meet you...damn...hey look, when you get this call, hit me at five-four-seven-nine-two-three-five! I’ll be at this number for a minute. Okay, hey...uh love ya!”
It was something she told Jason about. She figured if Jabari called, well, anyway...Jason understood, so he definitely didn’t remind her that she’d left her phone. Too bad for Stacy, because it was too much, too little...too late.
****
Hulie stepped out of the shower admiring the light fixtures and tile on the bathroom floor. It was immaculate, you could tell it cost money. The walls had smooth paint jobs, and no peeled back wallpaper like in the hood. He walked into the walk-in closet, picked up a towel off the rack and nodded approvingly. Cleo had picked up some fly ass towels from Bath and Beyond that were off the chain. They were fluffed up, folded, different colors and pretty cool.
She had good taste for a diva on a budget. He wondered what else she’d done with the money she saved him. He’d definitely have to look into that later, he couldn’t let her keep it all. He snickered at the thought. He walked into the bedroom and sifted through racks of clothes searching for an outfit. He wanted something casual since he wasn’t planning on going anywhere today. He’d done enough shit the other day, getting rid of Wood’s body itself was a headache.
He had to cut it up, stuff parts into a couple of barrels, then take the barrels out to the islands near Beaufort to drop them into the swamps. That was a lot of work, but at least no one could track them back to him. Wood, poor sucka, shoulda kept his mouth shut, but still, that damn Moonie G wasn’t no better, but it was a little easier takin’ him out though. He sat down in the living room and started watching TV, or at least the TV watched him. He thought about ways of getting up with Q’s homeboy, Cocky. Who was a mad thug dude from the Makin’. He’d heard from his snitches that he was following him around town, planning on making a move on him.
He’d have to get to him first to make plans of making amends for Q. It was a hood thing, nothing personal. He thought had beat him, he damn sure didn’t mean to kill him. Cocky would have to understand, it’s not like it never happened to him before. Cleo had come in from shopping and called him into the kitchen. She had a bag full of snacks, fruit and all the things he’d like. He lovingly kissed her on the forehead.
“This chick ain’t half bad,” he said to himself.
He looked out the backyard at the swimming pool and smiled. He needed to find someone to help him clean it out and then fill it up.
“You know...there’s a service for that,” Cleo said.
“Huh,” He spun around quickly, not knowing she was watching. “Really, thought I’d have to get a crackhead or something to help me.”
Cleo smiled, then walked over to him. “Naw...don’t need no crackheads knowing where we live.” She grabbed his hand. “This place is private.”
“Yeah, I guess you’re right. It’ll be my luck he’d come out and help me. Then come back later and rob me, along with the rest of the neighborhood. That wouldn’t be good! But that’s my luck, huh?” They shared the laugh and he grabbed some ice cream and walked back into the living room turning on the massive eight-inch TV he’d just gotten and plopped down onto the sofa. “Damn...know the game is on...somewhere.”
Cleo came in and sat down next to him. “You don’t want to watch a movie?”
“Naw...” He flipped through the channels. “Tryin’ to catch a game...”
Just then the phone rang, and Cleo answered it. “For you, Hulie.” She handed him the phone, sat down and picked up the remote.
After about a couple of minutes or so, Hulie hung the phone up and sat back down. “Found it yet?” he asked.
“Tell you the truth, really wasn’t trying to find one...” Cleo admitted.
He snatched the remote from her. “Told you, I wanted to catch the game.”
“Hey, don’t be so mean. Ain’t nothing but an old stank ass game.”
“See where you going...”
She sucked her teeth and crossed legs pouting. Hulie looked her way said out the side of his mouth. “You still trickin’?”
“What...what the hell are you talking about? Hell no!”
“Hey, don’t bite my head off. I mean, someone just called and told me...”
“Goddamn snitches. You gonna get tired of them muthafuckas yet!”
“Hell, you was one too...”
“The hell with you, Hulie!” She started to get up.
Hulie held out his hand stopping her. “Hold up, look, someone said they saw you with a dude that just got out of prison. Heard he was a hot boy, that’s why they called me. All I want to know is who is he and how you know him?”
“I have no idea who you talking about. You sure they saw me?”
“Yeah...sure!”
“What he look like?”
“Clean cut, short, cropped hair...damn sounds like the dude that pops said he...anyway, something like that.” He tossed the remote on the end table once he found the game and leaned back focusing on it, but not giving it his full attention.
He was still trying to figure out who she was with. She finally figured it out, that goddamned Jesse. But where were they seen together? She had to come up with something.
“Hell, you talking about my cousin?”
“Cousin?”
“Yeah, ...he came into town for a minute. We hung out a little, that’s all.”
“Hmm...cousin...what’s his name?”
“Darryl...yeah, cousin Darryl...from the country.”
“Where at in the country?”
“Damn, you sure are asking a lot of questions. You don’t trust me?”
“Naw...I trust you, but you never mentioned no, Darryl. Where at in the country?” He was coming on strong and she couldn’t get her lies together for hell.
“Cheraw.” Damnit, Cleo couldn’t you think of something better? Her mind screamed, but that’s what she came up with, probably from a conversation with her brother.
“Cheraw...” Hulie thought back to what Wood had said, that Dirty-Red was talking ‘bout taking Nikki to Cheraw. It didn’t quite add up, she was holding back something. “Hmm...whole lot going on in Cheraw.” He leaned closer. “Said, they saw him talking to your brother, too. Maybe I should ask him...”
“For what, Hulie?” He was all up in her face.
Cleo became rattled. “You act like we can’t have family and you don’t know everyone we know.”
“Hold up, don’t bite my head off. I mean, I got the call...that’s all. They told me to be careful.”
“Who?”
“Don’t worry about that. Look, later on, you...uh, show me who he is. Damn, Cleo, as much as you want to protect this spot, and us. Hell, you shouldn’t even be trippin’ like this.”
She sucked her teeth, picked up the remote and turned the channel.
“What the fuck you doin’, didn’t I tell you I was watchin’ the game?” Hulie snapped.
“Seems like you questioning me more than you watching the fuckin’ game,” Cleo barked.
Hulie snickered, then eased over to her. “Damn, girl, it ain’t that serious...” He kissed her on the neck. “You know ever since I got robbed, I need to watch my back. Still, don’t know who did that!”
Cleo kissed him back. “You got a better situation here, baby. Hell...” She pointed to a picture frame hanging off to the side of the steps going upstairs. “...you got two safes here, no more holes in the walls...or linen closet, picture that.” She laughed. “And the vent can really be used for getting some air...know what I mean.”
Hulie backed up a little, that threw him. “Yeah, getting air...” Hell, no one knew his dope was in the vent. That’s why the muthafucka was clogged up. He ain’t never told no one, ‘specially her and her big ass mouth. She couldn’t hold fuckin’ water. “Heh...heh, linen closet...” He damn sure didn’t mention nothing to her about the money he had stashed, much less in the linen closet at that. On top of all that both spots were got. Hulie started feeling some sort of way now.
“Damn,” he said to himself. “This bitch was the one who muthafuckin’ robbed me, or she damn sure knows who did!”
****
“Aahhh!” Dirty-Red screamed out as the paramedics lifted him onto the stretcher. “Told y’all I don’t need to go to no goddamned hospital.”
He’d caught a bullet to his shoulder, and it wouldn’t stop bleeding. Even after a couple of attempts were made to clog it. Someone suggested that he go to the hospital and that the bullet might have hit an artery. It was either that or Nikki was gonna go to the root doctor. He bitched and moaned for a while then decided the root doctor was out of the question.
“Hey...hold up. I need to do something real quick.” He motioned for Nikki to come over to him. “The police’ll be here looking for shit, thinking it was gang-related or something...clean up the dirt for me...knamean...please!”
“Come na...you know I’s got that...I got yu.”
“Pass me my phone quick.”
Nikki grabbed his cell phone and handed it to the paramedic as they loaded him into the ambulance. She kissed him on the cheek and disappeared into the house to take care of business like he’d asked her to. She started moving weed, boxes of bootleg, old kegs, and anything else that the police would be sniffing as illegal. Even though, ball knew it was a liquor house, if they came, they would have no choice but to act if they saw anything of the ordinary.
Dirty-Red smiled at the female paramedic who was taking his blood pressure. “Hey, uh, pass me my phone. If you don’t mind?” She passed it to him. “Whoa...put your number in, too...a’ight.” She did that, too. Then he dialed Cocky’s number. “Yo’ man, got shot up.”
“Yeah, I heard,” Cocky replied.
“Damn, it just happened.”
“Tell you, I got my sources. I sent my boys over to your place to give the girl a hand...cool with that?”
“I’m cool with that, but hell, is she?”
“Think she’ll be alright. She knows my people, never did no dirt to her or her son.”
“I hear that. Hey, look, try to find that muthafuckin’ Wood. And when you get him, holler back. I think he knows something ‘bout that shit that went down with T-Black and Nikki.”
“Yeah, your man was a snitch for that dude, Hulie.”
“Kinda figured that.”
“Think Hulie had something to do with that fuck shit, though.”
“Wouldn’t doubt it.”
“Check it out, you get better, then we’ll take care of the business when you get out. Might be about a day or so, they’ll probably want to keep you. I got that chick Nikki’s back, so don’t worry about that.”
“A’ight man, I’ll holler. I’ll have my cell with me.”
“Got you, believe that.” Cocky closed the phone and stuffed it in his jacket, then glanced over at his boy. “Plans changed, now we go to war. Don’t think that dude, Hulie will go down without a fight.”
****
While all that was going on, Diplite peeked from out of the woods. Right after leaving, Hulie looking at the back of the house. He thought about going inside but figured he’d just play it cool first and keep a low profile. He watched as Nikki and a couple of dudes he recognized from the Makin’ took boxes and kegs out back and hid them. Then he saw one of the dudes come out with a big satchel bag and dip through the woods opposite where he stood, with Nikki right next to him.
“It is what it is,” he said to himself as he crouched down so they couldn’t see him.
The Cheraw run was definitely off, he’d just have to take the money. But he needed help, cause it seemed like Dirty-Red had help, too as he thought about it. He might have been onto him. He knew he’d have to put Hulie down now, but he also knew he’d have to take Dirty-Red’s ass out, too, once the deed was done. It’d be an easy set-up, he’d call Hulie and tell him that Q’s boys were looking for him and that Dirty-Red was trying to make a move on him because of Nikki. Then he’d say that Dirty-Red hired Nikki to take Hulie out. Sounded good enough to Diplite, it was just the thing to throw some salt in the game. Diplite didn’t even think Dirty-Red knew that it was his gun that had shot him.
It was fucked up, Diplite really tried to take Dirty-Red’s dumb ass out, then that bitch Nikki, and get all the money. He kinda figured he had it in the house somewhere, but damn, that muthafuckin’ Wood got all in the fuckin’ way. It was cool, though, Diplite just had to go another route and be patient.
Diplite sneered as he watched ball go into the house to look around. It was time to go, he dipped toward the street and circled around the back. Then got in his car and hauled ass. The only thing he had to figure out now was, how he was going to get Nikki to come out of hiding with the money and the dope, together. Maybe he’d work the dope angle first, then tell her that he needed to help work it.
“Yeah, that sounds half ass right,” he said. “One way or another, it’s going down.”
If Diplite had been paying any mind to his surroundings he would have noticed the eyes that peered down hard on him...Nikki’s. She has spotted him the minute she came out onto the back porch earlier. It was her idea to snatch up the duffel bag and take it into the woods, but it was only a flam. The bag was filled with rags and old papers. The call had already been made to Cocky, and he was going to pick up the real loot later, with her blessing of course. She needed to go into hiding, but she was never one to run from a good fight. She figured she’d keep an eye on Diplite and see what kinda sheisty ass move he was gonna make next. But truly, straight up according to Cocky it would be his last move.
Diplite pulled in front of his mother’s house and sat in the driveway. She peeked out and he waved at her.
“Be in, in a few!” he yelled to her.
He promised her earlier that he’d stop by to talk to her. He figured it was about Cleo, and him keeping an eye on her. It was cool, he didn’t have a problem with that. He needed a way to get in Cleo’s business anyway. Considering all that was going down, it was dangerous. She needed to stay clear of, Hulie. The trap was being set at that very moment.
He dialed Hulie number. “Yo’ Hulie, wassup?”
“Damn, cuz just finished talkin’ to you. What’s up? I’m busy, right now!”
“I just spoke to one of Cocky’s boys. They want to talk to you, and it’s serious. The way the brother told me they was trying to get at you on some revenge shit for Q. And, I think that muthafuckin’ Dirty-Red got something to do with it, too,” Diplite lied.
“Oh yeah...hmm, alright, good looking!”
Diplite hung up the phone and snickered. “Yeah, punk muthafucka, go to the cheese, you fuckin’ rat.” He glanced out of the window and saw his mother peek her head out again. He nodded at her. “Be there in a few, ma!”
Somehow the call didn’t seem quite right for Hulie. Why would Diplite wait, and say something about that now? He’d just left him not too long ago. He needed to meet and talk with Cocky his damn self. But maybe some of that shit Diplite had said was right. Supposed it was a trap or something. He knew what to do. He pulled out his phone and speed dialed Sunshine, betting anything that she knew.