“Girl, look at you.” Sapphire admired Justice’s figure as she walked out of the bathroom ready to meet and greet with the patrons and the staff. “I ain’t seen you in jeans in so long, I ain’t think you owned a pair.”
“I wear jeans all the time, what the hell you talkin’ ‘bout? Anyway, wait ‘til you see these bitches on the floor. I’on know where these hoes be buyin’ these bodies from but you ‘bouta see some unreal shit.” Justice said as they left her office. She made sure the door was locked and they walked down the hallway that led to the main club area. Justice could tell that Sapphire was shocked to see just as many women in the lounge area as there were men.
“Damn, it’s a lotta dykes in here.” Sapphire turned her nose up.
“Nah, these bitches come in here because they know this where the ballin’ niggas at. Half of ‘em ain’t payin’ these dancers no attention. They peepin’ these niggas, tryna see who got the deepest pockets. It’s all game babe, and I most def can’t knock their hustle.”
Sapphire watched as a thick dark-skinned chick wrapped her ass cheeks around a pole comfortably. Sapphire knew she had a nice ass as well, but there was no way in hell her ass cheeks could wrap around a damn pole.
“Hey girl,” a young dude who looked like he couldn’t have been out of high school addressed Sapphire. “Why don’t you get on stage and shake sumpthin’?”
Sapphire laughed and shook her head. “Nah bruh, I don’t work here. I’m with my girl, Justice.” She stated as she pointed at her girl.
“Aww damn,” the young man pouted. “I wanted to see what that fat ass look like outside them clothes. He took out a stack of ones and threw a few in the air towards Justice and Sapphire.
“No this nigga didn’t.” Sapphire stated with much attitude.
Justice felt totally diserespected! This was her establishment and no one was going to treat her like an employee in her own shit. “You wanna see somethin’? How about you see my foot up yo’ ass. Matter fact, see the door nigga.” She turned towards her security guy and motioned for him to come over. As security approached, the young man started pleading with Justice not to have him put out.
She ordered the security, “Twin, put that nigga out or make him pay to stay.”
Twin turned his six-four, three hundred pound frame towards the table of young niggas and asked Justice, “which one?”
“That lil disrespectful ass nigga in the Gucci.” Justice pointed at the young man who had thrown the money at her. Then she and Sapphire walked off.
“Got’cha.” Twin replied, and then motioned with his finger for the young man to come to him. Once he was in earshot Twin told him “I’on know what you did but you just pissed the boss lady off.” He paused, then continued, “Now, she want me to put yo’ lil ass out but I’mma let you stay.”
“Preciate that big dog” The young man replied and turned to go back to his table.
Twin put a hand on his shoulder. “But it’s gonna cost you.
Run them pockets nigga.”
The young man sighed ,“damn, y’all some real hustlas up in this bitch” he reached into his pocket and dug out some money and gave it to Twin.
“That’s what’s up.” Twin grinned, and then added, “Next time recognize the bitches from the boss. Now y’all lil niggas enjoy y’all’s night. And don’t make me have’ta come the fuck back over here.” Twin glared at them then made his exit. Twin caught up with Justice and Sapphire and handed Justice all but fifty dollars of the money he had taken from the young man.
“Good look, Twin. And make sure them niggas don’t get outta line.”
“No doubt.” He replied, and then walked off.
Once Twin was gone, Justice handed the money to Sapphire. “That lil nigga said he wanted to see you. Guess he paid to see you walk away, huh?”
“Chile, I ain’t arguin’ with that.” Sapphire laughed and stuffed the bills in the back pocket of her jeans.
As Justice and Sapphire walked past the dressing room, Virgin and Precious were leaving the room ready to perform. Justice rolled her eyes and Sapphire noticed the tension between her girl and the two chicks. Virgin pretended to be cleaning her nails as she walked into Sapphire on purpose, damn-near knocking her into the wall.
“I know that ain’t a new bitch you got comin’ in here on a weekday.” Precious was loud and ghetto as she addressed Justice.
“Yeah, this bitch couldda said excuse me too.” Virgin looked Sapphire up and down and then shoved her into the wall. “Don’t she know who
really
got the say-so in this bitch? This my spot!”
Sapphire regained her footing and without hesitation, she backhanded Virgin with her left hand. Then she followed up with a fist to the same cheek. Sapphire pulled Virgin by her weave, pulling some of it out and started banging her head against the wall. “Bitch, you must not know who I am!” Sapphire yelled as she delivered an uppercut, landing on Virgin’s grill. Virgin spit up some blood on her white laced Teddy. “
My
name on the fuckin’ marquee, bitch.
You
better recognize!” Sapphire’s anger and sudden violent temper shocked Justice for a moment. Justice knew Sapphire had it in her, but she was just astounded to see it come out of her so easily.
Sapphire had set it off and all of the anger that had been built up in Justice for those two bitches came rushing to the surface. Justice turned to a stunned Precious while Sapphire continued to go to work on Virgin. Justice started throwing upper cuts and hooks, boxing Precious as if she were Laila Ali. In between dodging Precious’s windmill-like swings, Justice connected with combinations just the way Monk had taught her. For each time Precious called her a bitch, Justice delivered a fist to her jaw. Justice and Sapphire felt arms pulling them off of their victims as a small crowd gathered in the hallway.
“Get these bitches outta here!” Justice ordered her security team as she shook off the miscellaneous hands that were holding her back.
“Oh, no bitch, it ain’t over,” Precious spewed while spitting blood from her mouth, while a loose tooth hung on by a thread. Then it fell out. “Oh, hell no, bitch!” She bent down to pick it up. “I know all about how you killed that nigga you was fuckin’ and that’s how you opened this place.” Precious struggled to get free from the security team and continued to run off at the mouth.
Virgin chimed in, “Yeah, bitch, we know all about that shit. You and that bitch gonna get y’alls, believe that.” She struggled to free herself from security. “Fuck that! Lemme go. I gotta get my shit outta the dressin’ room.”
Just then, Toni walked up with her hand to her mouth in shock. “Toni, get them bitches shit and toss it out wit’ they asses,” Justice instructed.
Justice stood there breathing heavily with her arms crossed over her chest, shaking her head as her security team escorted the two troublemakers out of the club. She knew she was gonna have to fix her problems with the two of them once and for all. After checking on Sapphire to make sure she was okay, she looked at the dispersing crowd and saw one of the local known jack-boys in the back. Just that quickly, her devious mind began formulating a plan.
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
Red dipped back in the front seat of the car and watched everyone come in and out of BobCutz. He had hoped he would catch Carlos slipping because he knew that this day was his day to come to the shop. Red wanted so bad to get another shot at that man—he felt the last job that J T, Cross, and he did was incomplete—Carlos was still breathing. His plan was to follow Carlos to his house and he and Chris would murk him and take him for everything he had. He remembered how the plan went without a hitch last time; so good that Monk and D. C. took the fall for that shit.
After he got Carlos out of the way, he would continue his search for Justice. Kim was good for keeping up with what a nigga was doing, but when it was time for her to find a bitch, she was proving to be just as useless as a wet postage stamp
.
He watched as some of Kim’s friends were going in and out of the shop in preparation for the upcoming night. The Bobcats were playing the Lakers at home and Wale and Rick Ross were performing that same night at Club Lux. Needless to say all the groupies were making sure they were looking their best for a baller or a sucker for sponsorship.
“You see that Mercury Cougar?” Chris had tapped Red on the shoulder, jarring him out of his daze and causing him to focus on the mission at hand. “That belongs to Preme; he drives that up here every day.” Red looked in the direction Chris was pointing and took note of the car. “And the black Taurus, that’s Carlos’s nephew, War’s car. Carlos and that nigga look alike except War got a few cuts in his eyebrows and bigger lips. Now his other boy, Joe, something . . . whatever the fuck his name is, he got two cars. The orange Pontiac he drives when he’s here on business and the blue F-150 he drives when he’s just getting his hair cut. But he ain’t been up here in a minute. Kim said he fell out with them niggas.”
Red looked at Chris as she shook the platinum blonde, bob-style cut wig hiding her locs. The wig was a different look for Chris and almost made her look like Faith Evans when she first came out on the arms of B. I. G.
Red needed to be one hundred percent sure about everything. As bad as he wanted to catch Carlos, he wasn’t looking to fuck up. If he had to, he would abandon the plan, and just get that nigga another day.
While sitting in the car it had begun to rain a little. Then the rain began to pour for a few minutes, making the visibility undesirable. Red started to turn on the windshield wipers but decided against it, figuring that it would give his position away if he didn’t get out the car.
“Anyway, the white Chevy Tahoe is Carlos’s and no one drives it but him.”
Red smiled. This was news he wanted to hear. “You ready?” He asked.
“No doubt . . . but hold that thought. I gotta go to the bathroom. Be back in a minute.”
Before Red could object, Chris had already hopped out and slammed the door. The light rain had let up again and the sun was once again peeking through the clouds. Red watched the Tahoe like a hawk and then noticed movement from the shop. He saw Carlos exit the building and place a travel bag in the back seat of the Tahoe. Red picked up his phone and started calling Chris.
“Yo, the nigga gettin’ in the car.”
“Okay cool, I’m coming outta da deli in a minute.” Red turned on the ignition and was relieved to see Chris running out of the building. He watched as the Tahoe made a left turn out of the shopping center, and once Chris was inside, they followed the Tahoe out onto W.T. Harris Boulevard.
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
Justice hated that she and Sapphire had to beat some bitches down during her first trip to Chi-town but they had to set an example. To celebrate, Justice had taken her to see the Chicago Bulls play at a home game and she treated Sapphire like royalty.
After seeing Sapphire off to the airport, Justice met her father Tyson at the Buckingham Fountain. She hadn’t seen him in a few weeks and she was missing him. She also hadn’t been to the Fountain since she was a little girl before she and Monk moved to Charlotte. She appreciated the view of Lake Michigan and the weather was perfect for them to walk around and enjoy the view.
Tyson arrived and she greeted him with a hug and a kiss on his gruffy cheek. “Hey old man.”
“Hey baby girl. You been dissin’ me lately. What’s goin on with you? Everything ok?”
“Yeah everything’s good. And NO I haven’t been dissin’ you. I been busy workin’. And you been outta town so don’t even try it.” Justice replied as she took his hand and they began walking. How you been?” she asked.
“I’m good. Blood pressure been a lil’ higher than usual lately but all in all I’m good.”
“I told you about that pork and all that red meat,” she looked at him. “Why men so bullheaded and stubborn?”
Tyson laughed because she always got on him about his eating habits. “You already know I ain’t leavin’ my pork chops alone.”
Justice just shook her head because she knew she was fighting a losing battle as usual. He was stuck in his ways and there was no changing that. She decided to change the subject. “Sapphire just left.”
“I know. I hate I missed her. How she holdin’ up?” He asked.
Justice thought back to how Sapphire was throwing blows a few days earlier and she replied “Oh, trust she is doing
very
well.”
“That’s good. It helps that she’s got a friend like you who can relate to her situation. Someone who has also been through it” Tyson replied.
“Do you ever think about her? My mama?” Justice asked. At the mention of Justice’s mother, they both felt a sense of dread wash over them for a moment. “Every waking hour. I also think about Monk and your brother, Joaquin. I still can’t get over the fact that they were both murdered on the same day and no one has been charged with their deaths.” He shook his head.
Just hearing J.T.’s name being mentioned caused Justice to feel queasy.
“Let’s not talk about them right now. Let’s just enjoy this father-daughter outing on this beautiful day.” She did not want to think about her dead brothers at the time.
They walked to
Bobtail Ice Cream and Coffee
and got two scoops of their favorite homemade strawberry ice cream. Walking through the park with her father had her feeling like a little kid again and it brought calmness to her soul.
Justice and her father spent the next few hours walking and talking, catching up on what they had been missing out on in each other’s lives over the past few weeks before Tyson announced that he had to leave. “I’ll see you soon, babe. Call me when you get home.” Her father instructed.
“I will. Love you daddy.”
“Love you too baby.” Tyson responded with a genuine smile as he walked towards his car.
Justice was not yet ready to leave so she returned to her car and got her Nook so she could finish reading the book she had started on the plane. She found a nice quiet spot near a large oak tree in the park they had passed earlier and she sat down with her reading material and her ice cream. As soon as she pulled the book up and found her bookmark, her phone rang and she picked up immediately, seeing that Toni was calling from her office. She had hoped that after having to beat a bitch, there wouldn’t be any more fuckery at the club.