Chapter 10 #2
Prosper stared at her for a long time. So long, he could feel everyone in the room get uncomfortable.
Finally, he chuckled. “That right?” Tameka nodded hesitantly.
“If y’all are such good people and ain’t doin’ nothin’ wrong, why you ain’t tell me your man worked for Ghost when I mentioned he was the reason we were at the safe house?
Even better, when I first mentioned his name in front of you weeks ago? ”
That was what really bothered Prosper. If she knew how this street shit went, she should have known better than to keep some shit like that from him. Either that, or she should have snuck out of the damn house and disappeared with her man. Shit just wasn’t adding up. He smelled a setup, for real.
Out of the corner of his eye, Prosper saw Ghost shaking his head, and then he heard him chuckle.
“Got somethin’ to contribute to the conversation, nigga?” Prosper asked.
Ghost peered up at Tameka, who shook her head slightly with pleading eyes, and Prosper knew the puzzle pieces were about to drop right into his lap.
Ghost shrugged. “You live by the game, you die by that mothafucka, so fuck it. I ain’t got none to lose at this point.” Ghost groaned after he inclined his head toward Tameka. “She a real con artist.”
“What? No she ain’t,” Teonny said as she took a step forward.
Prosper couldn’t help but smirk at her as a little chuckle released from his mouth.
She always wondered why he always called her real.
To him, that was the highest compliment.
He only surrounded himself with the realest niggas, and Teonny was definitely a real nigga.
She was clearly pissed at her mom, but that didn’t stop her from standing ten toes down behind her.
Real niggas did real shit. Protect the ones they loved at all costs. Period.
“She is though. Ain’t that right, Meka?” Ghost asked. His voice held a taunting tone.
“Please . . .” Tameka begged, her voice quiet, like she only wanted Ghost to hear.
Ghost ignored her as he looked back at Teonny. “So, you’re the infamous Teonny. I know a lot about you. Did you know ya mama was fuckin’ yo’ husband?”
The large space fell eerily silent. The only thing Prosper heard was some water dripping from a busted pipe right next to where Jerome sat. Prosper digested the information quickly. He glanced at Tameka, who looked horrified, before his gaze landed on Teonny. His poor baby just looked confused.
“She . . . What? Mommy?” Teonny looked at her mother, who avoided her gaze. “Ma!”
It broke Prosper’s heart to see Teonny get ignored. Before he could step in, Jerome exploded.
“What the fuck you mean she was sleepin’ with that square ass nigga?” Jerome shouted. Prosper was impressed. He knew both these niggas were in pain, but they seemed to forget all about their predicaments while tea was being spilled.
“Baby, don’t listen to him.” Tameka cried as she got down on her knees in front of him.
Jerome tried to jerk back, even though his ass wasn’t goin’ anywhere. “Nah. Why you look so guilty? You forgot I know you? We been together ten years. You was fuckin’ that nigga?”
Tameka cried into her hands while everyone watched. Prosper watched Teonny go through the motions, and he could tell when she was officially fed up. She grabbed her mom by the back of the head and flung Tameka’s head back so she was forced to look at Teonny.
“Answer him. You was fuckin’ Kevin?” Teonny asked through clenched teeth.
“He told me I had to if I wanted him to keep takin’ care of me.
I ain’t have no other choice.” Tameka sobbed, but nobody in the room felt bad for her.
Jerome cursed up a storm and strained to break free, to no avail.
Tameka ignored him and addressed her daughter.
“You ain’t the only one he used to beat on, Teo. He used to beat me too . . .”
“I know like hell you ain’t tryna relate to me right now.” Teonny shoved her mother away as she stumbled back a few steps. She looked at her mom like she had never seen her before. Like she was a bitch off the streets.
“Lyin’ ass Meka. Why you ain’t tellin’ these people the truth?”
“Shut up, Ghost!” Tameka wailed.
Prosper was sick of the back and forth. “Nah, man. Whatever else you gotta get up off your chest, do it now.”
Ghost nodded slowly. It was clear he had accepted his fate.
“For one, she reached out to me to set you up a few weeks ago. She wanted to stick around and figure out where you kept your money first. She’s greedy.
That’s the only reason she ain’t give up your lo.
” Ghost looked at Teonny, who had tears of anger and betrayal streaming down her face.
Prosper glanced at his girl before he looked back at Ghost. “Eyes on me, nigga.”
Ghost looked at Prosper, who had to give him his props.
He didn’t look like a scared nigga about to die.
He was solid. It was too bad they had to be on opposing teams. The streets could be cold as hell like that sometimes.
In another lifetime, two solid ass niggas like them would have made billions together.
“The only other thing I gotta say is to her.” Ghost nodded his head forward in Teonny’s direction. Prosper eyed him, but he stepped aside so Teonny could be in full sight. It wasn’t like Ghost could harm her, so he would let him say his piece.
“Say somethin’ out of line, and you’re done,” Prosper warned.
“I’m done either way.” Ghost grinned tiredly.
“I’ll make it slow and painful. Don’t try me,” Prosper said.
Ghost nodded and looked at Teonny. “I don’t have many regrets, but my one and only regret was letting this nigga take on one mission.
” He jerked his head to the side toward Jerome.
“Only reason I kept him around after that was because I promised his mama on her deathbed that I would look out for his stupid ass, and I loved Auntie Linda like she was my own mama.”
“What are you getting at?” Teonny asked. Prosper noticed she now shook with rage. He wanted to go to her and comfort her, but he didn’t think she wanted that from him right now. After all, it was his fault she found out all this information right now.
“Ya mama—”
“Shut up!” Tameka shouted. She lunged for Ghost, but Lamar, who had been a silent spectator, stepped forward and held her back.
Prosper didn’t even like the thought of hitting a woman, but he wanted to knock her ass out cold for just a second so they could wrap this shit up.
“Continue,” Prosper said to Ghost.
Ghost stared at Teonny. “Ya mama came to me five years ago and begged me to put a hit out on Kevin. Jerome had been begging me for years to do a hit to prove himself, so I let him go. Him and one of my other men, who has since passed, snuck up in ya house on my order because ya mama begged me and told me she would break me off with a large sum of money. She wanted Kevin dead because he wouldn’t leave you for her.
She wanted him for herself. He refused to leave you, so she came to me.
“Jerome is the one who killed ya daughter. He started smokin’ that shit after the hit and ain’t been the same since.
Ya mama been paying me monthly to keep me quiet.
From what I understand, it’s on your dime too.
She ain’t want anyone to know, especially you, that she’s the reason your daughter is dead.
I ain’t ever killed a child in my life, but I feel responsible for your daughter.
I know my time has come, and I’m aight with reaping what I sowed. ”
Teonny dropped to her knees midway through Ghost’s speech. Prosper’s heart ached. He didn’t care if she rejected him at that point. He went over to her and got on his knees. After he wrapped her up in his arms, he rocked her back and forth.
“H-he’s lying, Teo. Baby, you have to believe me.” Tameka thrashed against Lamar, who effortlessly held her in place.
Meanwhile, Jerome called Tameka everything but a child of God, while Ghost remained silent.
“What you want me to do, baby?” Prosper asked repeatedly. He just wanted to take her pain away.
Finally, it was like Teonny snapped. She got up too quickly for him to grab her, and she lunged at Tameka.