Chapter 83

When Markita pulled up at our home fifteen minutes later, I jumped out of the car and went to take my son out of his car seat. I just ignored Gamble’s unmarked police car. I figured that he only wanted to get me riled up by following me home.

I picked my little man up and walked towards the house. When I reached the door, I saw something that nearly made my heart stop. I snatched the picture of a smiling Twan off my front door and read the note attached to it.

 I know what U did, bitch nigga and I’ma see U. Oh yeah, I’m gon’ see U Everything you do in the dark always come to light. I know all about U and all your moves. Just ask your wife. Oh and by the way, your little police friends saved your ass from getting smoked earlier today. See U when I see U, bitch nigga!

Sincerely,

Your Ugly Past

 

I balled up the note and picture before Markita got up on me. I opened the front door and left it open for her. By the time she got in the house, I had already made it to my bat cave and armed myself. When I saw that I didn’t have many fully automatic assault rifles, I made a mental note to call up my gun connect, Blade, the first chance I got. The note and picture really scared me. I knew I couldn’t leave my family here in this house like sitting ducks if somebody out there wanted me dead for what I did to Twan.

“Go get Mommy, lil nigga,” I told my son. He looked up at me and giggled and then took off running.

I followed him into the grand foyer and noticed Markita looking out the front windows like she was trying to see if somebody was following her.

“What’s up, them Feds still out there?” I asked, making her turn around quickly.

“Mmm, yeah,” she said, walking over to me. “Baby, I’m scared. While you was away, some man approached me and the baby when I came out from grocery shopping.”

I don’t think I heard the rest of her words. I had sunk into a deep abyss of fear and regret as soon as she told me that. Somebody really was playing for keeps and with a different set of rules. What made it even worse was that I didn’t even know where to begin to look. I was at war with a ghost who really had the ups on me and my family and there wasn’t a damn thing I could do about it but move far away as possible from the area.

“Go pack your things right now. You going to your mother’s house until I can find us somewhere more safer to live.”

“No, Melo, I’m not going anywhere. As long as you’re here, we should be good, right?” she asked, looking at me for some reassurance that I could be her protector.

But how could I protect her from something I couldn’t see coming? “Kita, this nigga stepped to you and my son. Who knows what he’ll do next?” I said, not telling her what I had found on the front door.

“If you answered my calls, you would have known about this sooner. And why you got all that money in that bag and them drugs? Listen, Melo, if you doing something to put us in danger…” She paused, giving me a nasty look. “That’s why that man approached us, ain’t it? You took something from him or something?” She went off.

“No…no…no. Baby, listen to me. I’m just holding that stuff for a friend. I’m not in that street shit no more,” I lied quickly, remembering what she had told me when we first met. She said she would leave me if I ever got back in the street life again.

“Melo, you’re scaring me. Why you got to be the one holding all that stuff?  If he really was your friend, he wouldn’t be putting you and us in jeopardy like this,” she said as she began crying.

“Kita, listen to me. We’re not in jeopardy of anything. I don’t know who that guy was who approached you and the baby, but I’m going to find out. In the meantime, I’ma take you out back with me and teach you how to use a gun.”

“Nope, uh uh! Why I have to use a gun if we’re not in danger?”

“Just in case, Kita, so stop asking me a million fucking questions and being so difficult and just do what the fuck I tell you to do for a change!” I snapped, regretting it soon as the words rolled of my tongue.

“Mm-kay, I’m sorry,” she said in a baby like voice. “You going to show me how to shoot right now or after we put the baby to sleep? Because you know the police are still right out front.”

“You’re right. We just gon’ wait until nightfall, okay? Kita, I’m sorry for - ”

“Don’t trip, boo boo.” She cut me off, picking up our son. “I know what I told you is a lot to take in right now and I’m sorry for being so difficult. It’ll never happen again.” I could hear the sarcasm oozing in her tone as she walked away from me, leaving me to bask in the misery of my past coming back to haunt me.