Read A King is Born Online

Authors: Treasure Hernandez

A King is Born (5 page)

Scratch looked at Malek and motioned for him to give Grady something. Malek reached in his pocket and tossed a twenty-dollar bill at Grady.
No matter who a dope fiend was beefing with, the possibility of getting a high always quickly made them forgive and forget. The sight of the twenty-dollar bill washed away every thought Grady had just been thinking, and as he examined the bill as best he could for authenticity, he suddenly began to remember some vital information regarding Mitch.
Grady quickly put the twenty in his pocket and reconsidered his earlier stance.
Well, maybe just helping him out with a little bit of information won't hurt. After all, he just paid for my afternoon snack. Now I won't have to be on E.
Grady licked his ashy lips and began to sing like a bird.
“Well, I'm not for sure if it's his main stash spot or not, but I do know he has a spot off of Welch Avenue where he keeps a whole lot of dope.”
Malek looked at him, his eyes silently asking Grady,
How would you know that?
Reading Malek's unspoken words, Grady continued. “I know this because when he got a big shipment in last week, he told me to meet him over there. He didn't have time to take me to the known stash spots, so he let me taste the drug right there on the spot. It was some good shit too!” Grady thought about the potency of the drug and how good the high felt.
Grady had Malek's undivided attention. “Who does he keep at that spot?”
“I forgot.” Grady glanced down at Malek's pocket then back at Malek. Just from the desperation in Malek's eyes alone, Grady could tell that the information was worth more than twenty dollars. He was sitting on the edge of his seat, like he'd been watching a whodunit for the past two hours and was only seconds away from finding out who had done it. Grady had to take advantage of Malek's vulnerable situation.
Taking note of Grady's wandering eyes, Malek grabbed another twenty and tossed it at him. “Like I asked, who does he keep at the spot?” he repeated.
With Grady's memory suddenly refreshed, he told Malek exactly what he wanted to know. “As far as I know, his sister stays there and watches over the money. It's a hushhush spot, and nobody is supposed to know about it. He doesn't do any business out of the house. He just keeps the dope there, and she does all the counting there.”
“So it's just a female up in there, huh?” Malek was surprised to hear that the only thing between him and hitting up Mitch's main stash spot was a broad. He thought he'd taught his prodigy much better than that.
“A bitch is right. A female dog, for sure.” Grady nodded his head. “She is a loud, crazy bitch too! Personally, I don't care for her ass at all.”
Malek looked over to Scratch as if things just might turn out good for them after all. They'd taken on big, burly security guards. Surely the two of them could handle some chick.
Grady noticed the eye contact between Malek and Scratch. “Don't get it fucked up, though. She is as feisty as they come. Worse than some dudes. What are y'all trying to do anyway?” Grady decided to be nosy, see what information he could get out of Malek and Scratch. One never knows. He might be able to take some information back to Mitch and make some more get-high money.
Knowing just how much he could trust Grady, Scratch replied, “Thanks for the information, Grady. Good lookin' out.” Scratch then looked up at Malek, giving him the signal that it was time for them to split.
“A'ight then,” Grady said. “But know that Mitch ain't to be tested . . . if you know what I mean.”
“Take it easy, Grady,” Scratch said, ignoring his friend's comment.
“You take it easy too, and whatever happens, y'all didn't get that little bit of information from me either, because I don't want any trouble with that young man. He'll whup my ass all up and down the expressway.” Grady thought about what Mitch would do to him if he found out he was giving away such valuable information.
“Fuck Mitch!” Malek said. “Scratch, let's go!” Malek did a 180 and began to walk away, and Scratch followed.
Mitch's sister was about to get paid a surprise visit by Malek and Scratch, who were both prepared to walk into a situation unknown. Desperate times call for desperate measures.
Chapter Six
K
eesha sat in Sweets' brand-new strip club feeling like the queen bee. Money was flowing lovely for everyone since Mitch had taken over the city. Due to this steady flow of cash, Sweets had upgraded to a new club. The old-school beef between North and South was dead.
Keesha was no longer a measly bartender. She was now a stripper and an official Manolo Mami, a title she'd been seeking for years. Her dream had come true, the same way little blonde-haired and blue-eyed girls dreamed of being Miss America.
Although Manolo was locked up, the name had stuck because of the girls' notorious reputation around Flint. The Manolo Mamis were the shit and were known for having the best head game in the city. Keesha was now the HBIC of the clique. Sweets had demoted Tasha for disloyalty and could no longer trust her, leaving room for Keesha to come up in the game and be his bottom bitch.
Keesha didn't necessarily enjoy what she had to do to stay on top. With Sweets being bisexual, he usually liked to do things in the bed that she wasn't into, but she held her tongue to keep her spot. When he put her on Mitch, Keesha happily obliged, never objecting or even voicing an opinion. She simply did as she was told, which kept her in Sweets' favor.
Keesha sat in front of the lighted vanity in the dressing room of the club as she waited for her set to begin. She looked at Tasha's reflection in her mirror and turned up her nose. She disliked everything about Tasha.
Keesha remembered the days when Tasha, Mimi, and Halleigh were official.
Those bitches had their heads in the clouds. Hating-ass hoes were always looking down on me like they were better than me or something. Now look who's laughing. The bitch came begging for her spot back, but it's taken. This shit is all me.
She rolled her eyes in the mirror as she watched Tasha open up her locker.
Keesha hated Tasha, Halleigh, and Mimi with a passion, to say the least, because when they were on top, they always reminded her that she didn't belong, making it their business to make her feel like a nobody. They gave a new definition to “mean girls.” No matter how hard Keesha tried to be down, they never accepted her.
As the so-called madam of the organization, Tasha was supposed to make everybody feel accepted, but when it came to Keesha, she did no such thing. Tasha was partial to Mimi from the very beginning, and when Mimi brought Halleigh home, it was a wrap. Halleigh officially became “little sister” material to Tasha, a spot Keesha had kissed ass for, only to be overlooked.
Things had taken a change for the better, though, as far as Keesha was concerned. She was no longer on the outside looking in. Mimi was dead, and let Keesha tell it, she got what was coming to her. So there was definitely no love lost.
Now Halleigh was getting exactly what she had coming to her as well. Keesha used to play background, sitting back, watching Halleigh walk around like her shit didn't stink. It was as if Halleigh was Beyoncé.
I bet she ain't so high and mighty now.
Keesha laughed on the inside at Halleigh being held hostage by Mitch.
That's what the fuck she gets.
When Mitch had first told Keesha about how soft Malek really was now that he had his little Barbie doll in custody, she knew Mitch was only telling her because he still felt embarrassed at the way Malek had made him look like a punk in front of her. This was Mitch's way of telling her to look at who the punk was now.
For a minute, she even doubted there was any truth to the kidnapping . . . until Mitch let her view Halleigh through the camera. Keesha almost felt sorry for the vision before her, but those feelings quickly disappeared as Keesha thought to herself,
If the bitch had treated me like I existed, I might have even tried to help her out. But fuck her!
Keesha applied makeup to her face. She was a pretty girl, but she had a fucked-up attitude, which had gotten her fucked up plenty of times by girls from around the way. It wasn't just the Manolo Mamis who didn't really care for her, but pretty much every chick she encountered. She had a nasty disposition about her that made people not want to associate with her. Unfortunately, too busy making the rest of the world out to be the bad guy, she didn't see this flaw in herself. She always had something to say about everybody, and now that she was in not only Sweets' favor, but Mitch's favor as well, she thought she was untouchable.
All these bitches can suck a dick
.
Everybody knew her new position because she made sure of it. Her mouth was always running, and today was no different. “Hey, Tasha girl!” she said, faking friendship. She looked Tasha up and down, admiring her tall, curvaceous frame, and hating on her at the same time.
Tasha looked toward Keesha and replied with a weak, “Hey.” Her words were dry. She didn't have too much kick-it for Keesha. She never had. From day one, she'd always been able to read Keesha like a book and knew she wasn't to be trusted, so she dealt with her with a long-handled spoon.
“You all right?” Keesha feigned concern. She was really just doing what she always did—picking, just to see what type of beans Tasha might spill.
Keesha had learned that she may run her mouth a lot, but her words were calculated. Other people, if she gave them a chance, would just run their mouths, not even thinking about what they were saying, always giving her some type of ammunition that she could eventually use against them or somebody else.
A prime example is the time she was giving a female a private lap dance in the back room. The girl was straight, as in not gay, and she and her friends had just decided to come to a strip club for the fun of it. Then when her friends dared her to get a lap dance, chipping in to pay for it themselves, after a few shots, the girl gave in.
In the back room, Keesha had no problem dancing on the girl for the two songs her friends had paid for at twenty-five dollars each. The girl giggled and laughed all the way through the first song, as Keesha rubbed on her and grinded on her. Keesha knew the girl wouldn't have been down for it if she wasn't liquored. It also wasn't hard for her to detect that the giggling was a nervous reaction. In order to take the girl's mind off things, Keesha engaged in conversation while she danced the second song.
The song wasn't even halfway over before Keesha learned that ol' girl was the bottom bitch of a young baller coming up in the game in Detroit. She ran her mouth so much about dude, Keesha got enough information on him to set him up to be robbed. So, on top of the fifty dollars she'd earned for obtaining the information, she got five Gs from the proceeds of the robbery. Knowing just how much getting a chick to run her mouth could benefit her, Keesha tried to play nice with Tasha.
But Tasha knew better and could see right through Keesha's fake-friend role.
Bitch, please,
Tasha said to herself in her head.
Your mu'fuckin' ass is as transparent as Saran Wrap. What the fuck you want?
Tasha continued to dress for her set, not even giving Keesha the courtesy of pretending they were friends. “Can I help you with something, Keesha?” she asked as she put on her M.A.C. cosmetics.
Although Tasha could barely afford the high-priced makeup now that she had fallen off, she still refused to wear anything less. A part of her felt shame for going back to the life of a stripper. Sweets pretty much owned her and had a price tag on her ass, and whoever had the most money could get it; but she wanted so much more in life. She felt like she was selling her soul to the devil all over again. She had been here and done all this before. Now her life had come full circle and she was back to square one.
“I was just trying to check on you, girl,” Keesha said. “I know you've been kind of distant ever since you came back. I know it's probably awkward with me being the head girl in this piece, but I want you to know you can talk to me, girl. We're peoples. So if you ever need to talk to someone, just know you can always come holler at me,” Keesha said, piling on the sweetness.
Tasha scoffed and shook her head. “Yeah, a'ight. We're people.” Tasha knew Keesha was trying to remind her that she'd taken her spot, but Keesha didn't realize the joke was on her.
There ain't no fucking way in the world I would be fucking Sweets' gay ass. Shit, at least Manolo was fine. Sweets' ass is ugly as fuck, and the nigga is a booty bandit. Dumb bitch probably don't even make the nigga strap up.
Keesha heard the sarcasm in Tasha's voice. She lowered her eyes in a disgusted gaze. “Take it however you want. I'm just letting you know I'm here. From the looks of things, you can use all the friends you can get. Ain't none of these new bitches trying to fuck with you, because you snaked Manolo, and that reputation makes them not trust you. But I've been around for a minute. I know the deal. You're a real bitch, and us real bitches got to stick together.”
“Um,” Tasha simply said as she sat down and oiled her toned legs.
I wish this bitch would keep it moving. If she thinks I'm about to fall for her fake-ass bullshit lines, she's got another think coming.
“I know after your brother died you've been less talkative. That's fucked up how Halleigh was all up in your face, and now she's laid up with the nigga that killed your peoples,” Keesha said, adding insult to injury.
Tasha cringed at the mention of Maury. She wanted to smack the shit out of Keesha for bringing it up. Tasha had gone many sleepless nights thinking of her loss and Halleigh's betrayal. Tasha felt like Halleigh was fake for choosing Malek over their friendship. She would have never chosen a dude over one of her girls. Being in the business she was in, she knew dudes were all the same, and at the end of the day, they'd choose money over bitches any day. So why should a bitch choose them over anything else?
When Maury was alive, he had strong feelings for Halleigh, and Halleigh was game, until fate brought Malek back into her life. When Maury turned up dead at the hands of Malek and Halleigh still chose to be with him, Tasha was through with Halleigh. After all she had done for her, she couldn't believe the choice Halleigh made. With Keesha bringing all that back to her remembrance, she was hurting inside, but not tipping her hand to Keesha, who was still standing in her face.
“I'm good on that conversation, Keesha,” Tasha said. “You didn't even know my brother, so it'd be best if you wouldn't speak on that . . . ever.” Tasha hoped that Keesha took the words as a threat, because she certainly meant for them to be.
“I hear you,” Keesha said, putting her hands up in surrender. “My fault, Tasha. I know that's a sensitive subject, but just so you know, that bitch Halleigh is gonna get hers. Matter of fact, she's getting hers now.”
Before Keesha knew it, the tables had been turned without much effort on Tasha's part, and Keesha began to run her mouth, all in the name of trying to lure Tasha to run hers.
Tasha wondered what Keesha meant by, “She's getting hers now.” It didn't take her too long to figure it out, as Keesha filled her in on the details of Halleigh's whereabouts.
“Mitch got that bitch tied up in the basement as we speak.” Keesha leaned in so that the two other chicks who'd just entered the room wouldn't overhear her. “I don't know what it is about this ho, but she had that nigga all googly-eyed too. I put the work in, though, and switched that nigga's train of thought real quick—Malek is the enemy, and so is his bitch. She won't be breathing long.”
Keesha rambled on, thinking it was safe to speak on the situation to Tasha. After the way Halleigh had played both Tasha and her now dead brother, Keesha assumed Tasha would just as well want Halleigh to die in that basement after her disloyalty. Little did Keesha know, she couldn't have been more wrong.
Although Tasha felt played by Halleigh, the two had been through far too much together for her to just flat out wish her dead. She and Halleigh had been like sisters, and a deep-rooted bond still linked the two of them in some crazy sort of way.
Tasha's heartbeat began to speed up as Keesha spoke, but she kept her poker face on. “Damn, that's fucked up,” she said with nonchalance. “I guess karma is a bitch.”
“Yes, it is. I pick up money from that spot for Mitch every day and laugh every time I see her dumb ass on them cameras.”

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