Chapter Thirteen
M
itch couldn't believe the news he had just received as he spoke on his cell phone with his cousin, one of the two girls Malek and Scratch had left breathing. He yelled to his goons as he held the cell phone up to his ear, “Everybody get the fuck out!” He watched as everyone exited the house. No one asked what was wrong, knowing what was best for them. He took a deep breath and placed his phone back to his ear. After swallowing hard and trying to maintain his composure, he said into the phone, “What the fuck you mean? She can't be dead,” his voice cracking slightly.
She was telling him that his sister Ree was shot dead by a robber, and that one of the robbers was also lying dead in the house.
“I didn't recognize either one of them,” she cried. “But I heard Ree say something about recognizing his voice and calling him
Scratch
,
Itch
, or something like that. But the other one got away, right after he shot Ree.”
At that moment, Mitch knew exactly who the robber that got away was. He knew Malek was responsible for his sister's death.
Just then, something else dawned on Mitch. He looked down at the duffel bag full of bills and realized that he had been paid with his own drug money. “Fuck!” he yelled as he hurled the bag to the floor in frustration. Here he was laughing at Malek, when in actuality Malek was having the last laugh.
Mitch closed his cell phone without saying another word. Tears streaming down his face, he picked up the bag and headed out the back door to where he always parked his car.
On his way out he called his other sister, who was in their hometown of Saginaw, to break the awful news to her. His sister Toy, Ree's twin, was in a league of her own. You couldn't mention her name if murder wasn't in the same sentence. Mitch was distraught as he waited for his only remaining sister to pick up the line. When she didn't answer, he flipped down his phone and rushed to the car, so he could head to his house.
Mitch was sick to his stomach, and his hands shook violently. His sister had been his responsibility, and because of his resentment toward Malek, she had been murdered. He never in a million years wanted her to get caught in the crossfire of his and Malek's beef. He imagined that's how Malek felt about Halleigh, but at least Halleigh was still alive.
How did he even know where my stash house was?
Mitch asked himself.
I was careful. I know I was careful. When I find out who let that shit out of their mouths, it's a wrap.
His emotions, an equal blend of grief mixed with hate for Malek, were getting the better of him. He instantly regretted letting Halleigh and Malek live, and wished that he'd put a bullet in Malek's head when he dropped the money off.
Mitch was so busy putting his phone away, he didn't see Malek creeping from around his car with a gun. Before Mitch could even react, he was staring down the barrel of Malek's pistol.
Mitch had no fear, because Malek was just the person he wanted to see. Tears still on his face, he dropped the bag and intensely stared at Malek.
“Where in the fuck is Halleigh?” Malek asked.
Mitch smiled sadistically. “I sent her to the same place you sent my sister, mu'fucka!” he lied. He knew his words would incite retaliation from Malek, but at that point, Mitch didn't care. The only thing he knew was, his sister was dead, and Malek was the cause of it.
Malek pulled back the hammer on his gun. “We had a deal, you dirty mu'fucka.”
“You killed my own flesh and blood. Your bitch is dead. Did you think I could let your people live after what you did to mine, you stupid muthafucka? Did you think I was gon' let your bitch live, with you trying to pay me her ransom with my own fuckin' money?”
Mitch knew that his words weren't true, but it was obvious that Malek didn't know that. He said it just to get under his skin. It was his only way to get a little bit revenge before he went out. There was no turning back. Too much had gone down between the two of them. Someone had to die. And from the looks of the scene at hand, Malek had the upper hand, so Mitch knew his seconds were numbered.
“You were supposed to be my nigga. I put you on.”
Mitch responded with a smirk. He hawked up some spit and sprayed it right in the direction of Malek's face.
Malek immediately moved his head to the side, just missing the mouthful of mucus.
Mitch then reached for his gun on his waistline, but before he could even grip his pistol, Malek fired three rounds into his chest.
With Mitch confirming that Halleigh was dead, a sadness Malek had never felt overtook him. As the bullets left Malek's gun, it was like therapy for him. He was tasting a full serving of revenge. He watched as Mitch's body fell to the ground and blood poured out of his chest, painting his shirt crimson. Malek stood over him and fired three more rounds, rocking him to sleep forever.
When Malek heard the distant voices of Mitch's goons as they came running from the front of the building, he grabbed the bag full of money and hurried over the fence onto the next block, where his car was parked.
Chapter Fourteen
H
alleigh and Tasha sat in the motel room, uncomfortable with each other's presence. There was a lot of tension between the pair of old friends, and there seemed to be a huge elephant in the room. Halleigh couldn't help but wonder why Tasha had come for her at all, if that's the way she truly felt about her. After reuniting with Malek and turning her back on her, Halleigh was surprised that Tasha was willing to put her life on the line for her.
“Thank you, Tasha,” Halleigh said. “I really appreciate what you did for me. I thought I was going to die in there.”
Tasha didn't respond. In her eyes, Halleigh's gratitude was long overdue. She remained silent while Halleigh continued to speak.
“I'm sorry, Tasha, for deserting you when you needed me most. I'm sorry about what happened to Maury.” Halleigh genuinely was sorry about Maury's fate. She'd really gotten close and had gotten to know him. Just as it was with everyone else in Halleigh's life, it seemed Malek was the only thing that stood between her and Maury eventually getting even closer.
“You just won't admit that Malek killed him, will you?” Tasha asked, emotion in her voice. “The man you love killed my brother, Hal. How am I supposed to know you didn't help set that shit up? I trusted you. I loved you like a sister, girl.” Tasha looked Halleigh in her eyes. “And even more so, Maury loved you. I can only imagine how you treat people who don't give a shit about you.”
“Tasha, I'm not going to lie to you. I had a lot of love for Maury. He made me feel special after Manolo had stomped me into the dirt and had my self-esteem at an all-time low. Maybe in another lifetime we could have had something good, but I couldn't fully invest in him, Tash, because Malek had the keys to my heart. Maury was a good guy, Tasha, and I feel so bad about what happened to him. I've never asked Malek about what happened that night, because a part of me doesn't want to know. I can, though, tell you that I didn't have anything to do with it.” Halleigh paused for a moment in an attempt to try to read Tasha.
When Tasha gave her nothing, she went on. “Don't you find it a little ironic that Mimi died that same night? That was my girl too, and I loved her. But you know she was grimy. Did you ever think for one moment that whatever went down she might have had something to do with it and not me? I cared about your brother, and I love Malek, even if he is the man that killed him.”
“That's fucked up.” Tasha shook her head from side to side, unable to accept a half-ass apology. “You were my girl, Hal. Then you just forgot about me.”
“Is that what you think? That I forgot about you?” Halleigh let out a chuckle. “You were the sister I never had. I love you so much, Tasha, and I am so thankful to have had you when I was going through all of the bullshit, but think about it. It's hard to get your man to understand that you used to be a ho. I used to trick myself out to some of the same niggas that be in Malek's face, Tasha. Think about how that makes my man feel. He doesn't have anything against you personally, but he didn't want me around the bullshit anymore. To tell you the truth, I didn't want to remember that life. I was running from it too.”
“If you forget your past, you are bound to repeat it, Halleigh. I can understand where you coming from, but if I was on the same fake shit as you, then I would have left you in that house and never looked back. I guess me and you are just two different types of people. If you're my girl, then that's it. There ain't a nigga in the world that can pull me away from you. I'm loyal, but that's not something that everybody respects. It's cool, though. I'm not tripping on it. Now I just know where we stand.”
“Tasha, we will always have each other to lean on. You know if you ever really needed something and I had it, I would give it to you in a heartbeat,” Halleigh said with a slight smile.
Tasha nodded and wiped a lone tear away. She knew Halleigh well enough to know she was being sincere and meant every word she was speaking. “Same here, Hal,” Tasha said. “Just so you know . . . I forgive you.”
“Thank you. That really means a lot to me,” Halleigh replied and then initiated a hug between the two.
“Okay, enough of that mushy stuff,” Tasha said, breaking contact. “Have you heard anything from Malek yet?”
“No, I keep leaving him messages. Every time I call, it goes straight to voicemail. I've left him like ten messages. I left him a message on his voicemail telling him where we're at, but he just won't call me back. I'm so worried about him. I don't know what I will do if something happens to him. I'm about to have his baby. I can't survive without him.”
“You better learn how to, Halleigh, because even if he lives through this shit right here, in the lifestyle he's living, there will be other times like this. You've got to think about your baby. Even if you do it alone, you've got to do it. You already knew this was one of the consequences of dating someone in the game.”
“But that's just the thing,” Halleigh said. “He's not in the game anymore. He got out.”
Tasha let out a laugh. “That's what they all say, Hal, that's what they all say. But even so, tomorrow ain't promised to no man. You still need to learn how to be independent and do things on your own.”
“I don't know if I can.”
Tasha could see that her words were getting to Halleigh, so she turned on the TV to change the mood. Even though she did not believe what she was about to say, she let the words come out of her mouth anyway. “Malek is a trooper, so you know he's all right, girl. We just have to find him, so he can get you out of town. Everything is going to be all right.” Tasha scooted toward Halleigh and comforted her. She didn't want her to suffer alone.
“I know, I know. That's what I want to believe, Tasha, but something isn't”âHalleigh stopped mid-sentence as she saw a picture of Malek on the eleven o'clock news. “Tasha, turn that up.”
Tasha obliged, and they listened to the news reporter.
“Former Flint Central High School basketball star was involved in a bank robbery. Here is a clip of him, along with another unidentified man, robbing Chase Bank and First National Bank early yesterday morning. Flint police officer, Robert Snell, was killed at the scene, and this incident has the entire police department on a manhunt.
“Police have yet to release any further details about the robbery, but surveillance video has confirmed the identity of one of the robbers as Malek Johnson. This is not Mr. Johnson's first time being involved in armed robbery. A few years ago he was charged and arrested for holding up a corner convenience store just months before he was expected to be drafted into the NBA.
“Authorities do not want the community to underestimate this suspect. He is armed and dangerous, and if you see this man, you should call the police department immediately. If you have any idea of the whereabouts of these men, please call 1-800-CRIMESTOPPERS. This is Anari Simpson, signing off from Channel Seven News.”
Halleigh's mouth practically hit the floor when she saw a picture of her man on the screen. They had used an old high-school picture and put his face on prime-time TV. Halleigh knew that somehow, just like last time, she was the cause of his extreme measure. She could just feel it that her being held in that basement had something to do with Malek robbing those banks. Tears began to fall as she put her hands on her mouth and remained silent.
Tasha was also shocked as she looked along with her. Tasha didn't think that Malek had it in him to stick up a bank, let alone two. But obviously she was wrong. She had thought all of his balls came from the backing of Jamaica Joe.
I guess he's got a little bit of gangster in him after all,
Tasha thought as she still sat in shock.
Halleigh began to hyper ventilate and was becoming short-winded.
Tasha placed her hand on Halleigh's back, trying to help her. “Are you okay?”
“I just need some cold water,” Halleigh said as she placed her hand on her chest.
Tasha jumped up and ran into the bathroom to run Halleigh some water. “It's not getting that cold.” She opened the door and went to the ice machine outside, leaving Halleigh in the room alone.