11. Jeovanni
CHAPTER 11
JEOVANNI
I emerged from my car and walked toward Deuce and Jovani who were standing outside of the desolate building talking. When I neared, Jovani looked me up and down with a smirk. “You done acting like a hoe?”
I angled my head to the right and studied the replica of myself. “Only hoe out here is you. Secret keeping ass nigga. Disloyal ass nigga. Bi”
“Yo,” Jovani cut me off as he took a small step toward me. “Not too much. You can be mad at me for keeping shit from you, but let’s be easy.” Warning flickered in his orbs causing me to chuckle. Jovani didn’t run shit, but we had business to handle.
I flicked the tip of my nose and bobbed my head. “You’re right. We have business to handle anyway. You got me out here being childish wit’ yo’ ass.”
Jovani kissed his teeth as I looked at Deuce and nodded. Pulling his gun from where it had been tucked underneath his shirt, he slowly opened the door and eased inside. Twin and I were right behind him clutching our guns as well. The address of the location we were at had been given to me by our mother. Melissa made good on her promise and had her goons snatch up Titan. The easy part had been done for us. His jealous hearted, racist, ass had been delivered to us on a platter.
The dark, rank building smelled like mold, mildew, and shit. I frowned as I crept in behind Deuce. Once his huge ass stepped out of the way, a battered and bruised man came into view. He was tied to a chair, and his once white shirt was soiled with blood and dirt. There was even a shoe print across the front of it. His left eye was swollen shut, and his lips looked like Celine’s did when she got fillers, and her shit was swollen for a few days. Titan struggled to hold his head upright. When he saw the three of us, a strained chortle pushed from his throat.
“I guess this is the part where you kill me,” he rasped.
I inched closer to him with a sadistic grin on my face. “I guess so. Seems to me rather than sending my mother pictures of a dead monkey, you should have been sending her pictures of a dead cracker.”
“You can sell all the cocaine in the world. You can make money and live among the rich, but you’ll never be more than the shit on the bottom of a shoe. A nigger with money is still a nigger.” The last word was barely out of his mouth before Jovani raised his arm and sent a bullet slamming into Titan’s face.
“Disrespectful ass nigga is doing too much talking,” Jovani seethed before spitting on the man.
My head whipped in his direction. “Von, are you fuckin’ crazy? You just put your DNA all over that nigga.”
Jovani kissed his teeth. “The way Deuce is about to burn this building to the ground, you think they’ll be able to identify his ass let alone retrieve my DNA?” Jovani turned toward Deuce. “Since this muhfucka likes setting things on fire burn his ass to a crisp.”
He walked out of the building, and I was right on his heels. Jovani could piss me off like no other, but a few days without speaking to him had been enough. Hopefully he got the point and wouldn’t be keeping anything else from me.
“Rainah is cooking dinner Sunday. She wants you and Grams to come by. She also wanted to invite Melissa, but I don’t think it’s safe having all of y’all in one room. Also, Monday is the day that Tony is connecting us to the Russian buyers. You ready?”
Jovani’s head bobbed. “I’m ready for whatever. Always. You know that. And if you have any kind of love for Melissa, you’ll keep her away from Joanna. As for the other shit. You’re right. There are no excuses. I should have told you the real reason I couldn’t stand Celine’s ass. I swear I just knew she wasn’t it for you.”
“’Cus you can see into the future and shit, huh?” I joked.
“Nah simply ‘cus I know what I know.”
Jovani and I slapped palms before getting into our vehicles. Titan was two seconds away from being cremated, and he was one less thing that we had to worry about. Since he was no more, I finally felt confident enough to face my grandmother. The pool hall was insured, but I didn’t want her to use the money to rebuild. Jovani and I wouldn’t have to think twice about making sure her new pool hall was everything she wanted it to be and even better than the last. The original pool hall was my grandmother’s baby. It was hers. She got it on her own without any help from anyone. There were days where she alternated between working the bar, frying fish, and keeping the patrons in check.
It was a hole in wall that didn’t have the best appearance, but the food was good, the drinks were strong, and the atmosphere was a vibe. When my brother and I offered to get the pool hall renovated for her, the only reason she agreed was because the ceiling was moments away from caving in. Joanna didn’t care about the place being up to date or aesthetically pleasing. She liked it just the way it was but at some point, she had to stop being stubborn and admit that it needed major work done.
When I arrived at my grandmother’s house, she was sitting on the porch drinking a glass of lemonade. I sat down in the empty glider beside hers and stared across the street. We sat in silence for all of two minutes before Grams spoke.
“You came over here to look at the house across the street?”
I chuckled and turned my head toward my grandmother. She had survived seeing her only child’s dead body. She took his kids in and raised them. She had a husband die and a boyfriend go to the Feds. The latest tragedy was watching her business burn to the ground but through it all, Joanna stood tall.
“Jovani and I handled the person that was responsible for the fire. He’s burning to a crisp as we speak.”
Grams gave a quick nod. “Good enough for him. I’ve been thinking. The best part about the pool hall was me damn near being a one woman show until I could afford to hire help. That pool hall along with you and Jovani gave me purpose. It kept me so busy that I was too exhausted to sink into a deep depression. I’m not young anymore, and if I’m not running the pool hall, that takes away the thrill. I don’t think I want to rebuild. I just want to sit on this porch, enjoy the breeze, and watch my grandbabies from time to time.”
My brows hiked. “I didn’t expect to hear that.”
“Yeah well I’ve worked enough. I should look the way your mother does. Wrinkled, tired, and half dead. But I don’t. So, I’m going to get out while I can.”
I damn near choked on my own spit. “Yo,” I slapped my chest with my hand. “You have got to stop. She doesn’t even look that bad. She’s not wrinkled.”
My grandmother frowned. “Lies you tell.”
All I could do was shake my head. “Anyway, Rainah is cooking Sunday dinner, and she wants you and Ida Mae to come.”
“That’s fine, but I know who better not be coming. This isn’t no blended family bullshit. Same way I wouldn’t be welcomed at a table with her greasy haired folks, is the same way she can’t eat at mine.”
With a shake of my head, I eyed my grandmother knowing that she would never change but if she did change, then she wouldn’t be her. “No,” I chuckled. “She’s not coming.”
“You and Rainah are back together?”
“I guess so. When she first came back around, I wanted to choke her ass. But I had to admit to myself that I still loved her. And even though she was wrong, I can kind of see why she did what she did. Going home every night to my sons and her has become the best part of my day. Even though I’ve known Rainah way longer than a year, it’s funny how I was with Celine for a year and had no desire to marry her. But Rainah…” my words trailed off. I had been seriously thinking about going ring shopping. And it wasn’t just because she was the mother of my kids.
“You aren’t getting any younger,” my grandmother used a magazine to fan herself. “I wouldn’t mind going to a wedding before it’s time for me to check out of here.”
“You’re too damn mean to check out.”
That got a laugh out of her. “I wish. And if you get married what’s the plan? Rainah walked away from you once because of what you do. You think she’d be okay with it once you all are married?”
I ran a head over my freshly done braids. “Honestly, I was looking at retiring around thirty, but I’m far from broke. It wouldn’t hurt to retire now. I don’t want muhfuckas in my business, and that’s the only reason my house isn’t paid off. I use Jonah’s on paper to cover my mortgage and credit card bills, but I have more than enough to pay off my house. With the money that I have saved and Jonah’s, I don’t need to sell drugs. I just do the shit because it’s lucrative as hell.”
“Yeah, it’s lucrative and it’s a one-way ticket to prison if you get caught. I think you and Jovani have proved enough points. Tell plastic tits you’re done, and she can move her own cocaine.”
I stared at my grandmother for a few seconds before shaking my head. “You do remember that you were the first one to put me and Von on, right?”
“That was how many years ago? I ran that pool hall because I loved it, but it damn sure didn’t make me rich. By the time I paid the bills at the pool hall and paid the employees, what I brought home wasn’t enough to live off of. I sold coke to keep a roof over our heads and food in our bellies. Not to drive big, fancy cars and pay more for shoes than it cost to have a foot amputated.”
“I hear you old lady. I don’t have a problem with retiring. It’s your big head grandson that might have to be convinced. Jovani is still living wild and free. Running the streets still gives him a thrill.”
“First of all, watch who the fuck you’re calling old. Second of all, let me handle Jovani.”
I stood up with a chortle. “I hear you Young Lady. I’ll see you later.” Bending down, I kissed my grandmother on the forehead and walked to my car. I had one more order of business that I needed to handle before I took it in for the night.
* * *
Two days later, me, Jovani, and Deuce crept through PJ’s house. He was sprawled out in his bed sleeping like a baby. An empty liquor bottle was on the floor beside the bed. The bedroom reeked of alcohol, so either some had spilled, or it was coming out of his pores. Using my gloved hand, I slapped PJ in the face.
“Wake up fuck boy,” I sang.
PJ’s lids slowly parted and when his eyes opened all the way, he damn near jumped out of his skin. PJ sat up so fast he banged his elbow on the headboard. “What are you doing in my house?” his red rimmed eyes darted between the three intruders in his bedroom.
“Come on now, don’t act shocked. You had to know when I walked in on you that day violating Rainah, that the shit was gon’ come back and bite you.”
“Rainah is a fucking slut. She likes it rough. We we”
I hit PJ in the mouth hard enough to split his bottom lip. “You might want to watch your mouth. There isn’t shit you can tell me about Rainah and how she likes it,” I seethed.
“You doing all of this over a female? I’m a police officer. You’re not invincible, Jeovanni. Neither of you are. That’s why you have me on payroll, right? To stay one step ahead. You need me.”
“Nigga, we don’t need a muhfuckin’ soul,” Jovani spat from behind me. “You got us fucked up. You aren’t the only person with a lil’ position of power that we have in our pocket. You really thought you were in disposable?”
Panic caused PJ’s eyes to widen. He should have known from the moment he saw our faces that we weren’t there to play, but Jovani’s words had spooked him.
“I was only trying to talk to her. I wasn’t doing anything to her.”
“Deuce let me get that,” I spoke to Deuce while never taking my eyes off of PJ.
Deuce passed me the blow torch he pulled from his bag. I didn’t have to instruct him on what to do next. Deuce placed PJ in a headlock while Jovani put duct tape over his mouth. I was gon’ torture his ass for a lil’ bit, and I didn’t want him screaming all loud.
Beads of sweat blanketed PJ’s forehead. Even after the tape was placed on his mouth, Deuce kept his massive arms locked around PJ’s neck. A thick vein protruded in the middle of PJ’s forehead. With a grin, I turned the blow torch on and aimed the flame directly at PJ’s crotch. His muffled screams could be heard as I scorched his dick. Tears ran down PJ’s cheek. Ignoring his cries of agony, I waved the flame across his hand.
“Since you like to touch people without their permission, here’s something for your ass,” I taunted him. I frowned but before I could speak, Jovani spoke up.
“Burnt flesh stinks, and I think that nigga shit on himself. Go ahead and put him out of his misery before I throw up.” Jovani walked out of the room. For once I agreed with him even if he was a bit dramatic with it.
I passed the blow torch back to Deuce and snatched my gun from the waistband of my jeans. PJ was barely conscious and at that point, he probably welcomed death. I didn’t even flinch as I squeezed the trigger three consecutive times hitting PJ in the chest and head. The evidence that proved PJ was a dirty cop had already been sent into the prescient anonymously. Even though he was dead, anyone that he recently arrested would have their charges dropped. I could have sent it, let him live, and deal with his punishment, but that wasn’t an option. The police department would probably just fire his ass, and that wasn’t good enough. He couldn’t ever touch anything associated with me and live to walk around Ausnor Beach with a sly ass grin on his face.
The warehouse was out of the way, but I wasn’t wearing the clothes I killed PJ in, in my home. After removing my hoodie and sweats, I tossed them in the fire that Jovani had set inside of a trashcan. I still had on the tee that was underneath the hoodie and a pair of basketball shorts. Deuce and Jovani tossed their clothes in and once the fire was extinguished, we parted ways. Since Rainah and I were together, her and the boys were no longer living in my condo. I moved them into my house.
To my surprise, Rainah talked her grandmother into leaving her house and moving in her condo. I paid the rent up for the remainder of the lease. Rainah loved the old neighborhood like I did, but things were changing. A lot of the elders on the street were either dead or their health was seriously declining. Young niggas were taking over, and Rainah wasn’t comfortable with her grandmother living alone. She felt her condo was more secure, and that Ms. Nixon would be more comfortable there.
I would have loved for my grandmother to move, but I didn’t see it happening. I also knew that my grandmother could bust a gun blindfolded, and she slept with that thang next to her bed. Plus, anybody that even dared to be in the streets in Ausnor Beach should have gotten the message that fucking with Joanna Mitchell was the quickest way for them to die. She was off limits, and ninety-nine percent of the hood knew that.
When I got in, it was late, and Jason and Jordan were asleep. I was surprised that Rainah was up but then again, she didn’t like to go to sleep before I made it in. Even if I was at Jonah’s versus out doing illegal shit, she couldn’t rest comfortably until I had walked safely through the door. She was in the kitchen eating grapes out of a bowl. The moment I saw her in black shorts that barely covered her ass cheeks and a thin black tank top that had her large areolas on display, my dick stiffened. Her gaze poured over my outfit. She knew it wasn’t what I was wearing when I left the house that morning. She didn’t say anything, but I knew she was wondering.
“That thing with PJ is handled.”
Rainah gave a curt nod. I couldn’t read her. She placed a grape in her mouth and chewed intently. She didn’t appear to have an attitude, but I wasn’t sure why she was on mute. “You good?” I asked with a hiked brow.
“I’m good. Hopefully, you were careful.”
“I’m always careful.”
“That’s all that matters then.”
My eyes cut into slits. It was my turn to simply stare. “What?” she chuckled.
“Nothing. I mean, this change is just shocking that’s all. I still can’t really believe you’re cool with all this.”
“Cool with it isn’t exactly the right term but like I already told you, Jeo those five years without you were hell. I was torn every day. Torn between my beliefs and morals and having my best friend and the father of my kids back. I don’t want to go through all of that again. It’s just easier to give in.”
“I don’t want you to think that I take what you’re doing for granted. I saw how what happened affected you. I didn’t make you choose but in a way, I guess you did anyway. I just want you to know that I’m working hard to walk away from this clean with no loose ends. When I’m done, I want to be completely done. Okay?”
Rainah nodded and gave me a small smile.
“As soon as I take a shower your ass is mine.”
“Hurry up,” she giggled. “I’m sleepy.”
I jogged up the stairs, but I couldn’t go into the bathroom without looking in on Jason and Jordan. I had enough bedrooms for them to each have their own room, but of course, they wanted to be together. It was like I was having an out of body experience watching me and Von as kids again. It was crazy that they were the exact replicas of me and my brother. I stared at my sons for a few minutes before easing the door closed, so I could take a shower and put their mother to sleep.