24. Joker
Joker
M a’s ass had a blowout on the interstate on my way to my date with Halo. She was being dramatic and shit. I offered to send her a tow truck since I had somewhere to be, but she kept saying what if someone hits her while she was waiting for it and that she could die out here on the road. I called myself making a quick stop, which turned into me being there a bit too long. My phone had died, and the fucking charger wasn’t in the truck anymore. By the time I got it charged and went to call Halo, I was almost a whole hour late for the date. When I finally did call, she wasn’t picking up. I know she was mad as hell, thinking I stood her up when that wasn’t even the case. I should’ve handled the situation better.
Now I found myself pulling into the parking lot of her building to apologize to her face. That’s if she answered the door. Hopping out the truck, I hit the fob to lock my doors. The niggas posted at the door mugged me as I treaded toward it.
Yanking the door open, I entered and jogged up to her floor. Stopping at her door, I brought my fist up and knocked on it. It was so quiet coming from the opposite side that one could hear a pin drop.
“Halo, I know you’re in there. Just open up the door and let me explain.” Never in my life did I ever find myself in a position like this. Halo was bringing shit out of me that I didn’t even know was in there.
“Go away,” came from the other side. I could’ve sworn I heard a sob.
“Please, Halo. I’m trying not to kick this door in.” The locks clicked and the door cracked enough for me to see that she still had the chain on it. “I’m sorry. I lost track of time, trying to help my mama, and my phone died. I should’ve called and told you the moment she called me.” Her light sobs seeped through the crack.
“Can you please open the door so I can see you?” The door shut in my face and then opened back up. She stood there with her long hair pressed, falling at the sides. She wore this short ass red dress that bricked my dick. Hooking her chin, I lifted her face where she was staring me in the eyes. “I promise I won’t let it happen again. I gotta remember that I got somebody to answer to now.” My eyes searched her neck and I realized her necklace was missing. Halo hasn’t taken that necklace off since she got it. “Where’s your necklace?”
She shrugged and replied, “It was stolen.”
“By who?” My jaw muscles tightened.
“That fucking homeless man outside snatched it off my neck when I got home. He probably sold it by now.”
“I’ll be back.” Releasing her, I closed the door and headed downstairs. When I stepped outside, my eyes scanned the parking lot, but I didn’t see him.
Stopping in front of the people out there, I asked, “Any one of y’all seen that fucking junky?” It was nothing but crickets. I removed my strap from my waistline, lifted my hand in the air, and released a bullet. People began to scream and run. “I’m gon’ ask one more mufucking time. Any one of y’all seen that junky?”
“Last I checked, he was down there at the Quick Pawn Shop,” one of ’em finally answered.
Tucking my gun, I hit the fob on my truck and hopped inside. Rubber peeled as I pulled out the parking lot. I turned into the pawn shop parking lot on two wheels. Getting out, I slammed the door shut behind me and entered the building. There were a couple customers inside, but that fucking junky was nowhere to be seen. I stepped to the glass counter and scanned the jewelry to see if they bought the necklace from him.
“Can I help you with something?” one of the associates asked when she walked up.
“I’m looking for something in particular. It was stolen from my girl and I was told that the person who stole it has been here. Did you all get a diamond heart necklace in here within the last hour by any chance?” I asked, still skimming the jewelry.
“If we did, it wouldn’t be in the case yet. I can go back there and check for you. Give me a second.” She stepped away from my counter, and I removed my phone from my pocket. It was on twenty percent. That was just enough for me to get this message to Dough. My fingertips moved swiftly across the screen.
Find that fucking junky from Ridgeview and find him quick.
I pressed send and slipped the phone back into my pocket.
“Seems to be your lucky day. We just got this baby in not too long ago and it’s beautiful,” she said when she walked back up. Resting in her hand was Halo’s necklace.
“That’s it.”
“Unfortunately, we can’t prove it was stolen so I can’t just hand it?—”
“How much?” I asked, digging into my pocket for my wallet.
“He pawned it for five hundred dollars.”
“It was worth way more than that. It’s priceless at this point. Here.” I handed her my card and she took it over to the cash register. After swiping it and the transaction was approved, she handed me the necklace and card.
“I’m so sorry that happened to you.”
“It’s cool,” I told her and exited the building.
Getting back into my truck, I went back to Halo’s apartment. It was my fault her shit got stolen in the first place. I was gon’ have to handle it.
Entering the building, I took the necklace up to her apartment. I knocked on the door and waited for her to come to it. This time when she answered, she had changed out of the dress into a pair of pink pajama shorts and a t-shirt. Pulling the door open wider, she allowed me inside but hadn’t said anything to me.
“All of this is my fault. I’m really sorry. I got your necklace back. Turn around.”
“You did?” Her eyes lit up.
“Yeah. I know how much it means to you. Turn.”
She turned with her back facing me and lifted her hair. I slipped the necklace around her neck and hooked it. Halo faced me, twirling the heart pendant, and smiled. “Thank you.”
“I’m gon’ make it up to you. This just the start.”
My phone buzzed. I pulled it out and saw that Dough texted me back. I got him. What you want me to do with him?
Me: Take him to the warehouse. I’ll meet you there.
“I gotta go handle something. I’ll check in on you later,” I told her and cupped her face. Our lips meshed. I swear I didn’t want to leave that apartment, but I knew I had to. Peeling away from her, I left out the door and shut it behind me.
I made it to the warehouse and went straight inside to set up the room for that junky bitch. Nigga wanted to take shit that didn’t belong to him for money to get high. After tonight, he was gon’ get higher than he’d ever been in his life ’cause he was going to see the Lord.
My phone chimed, alerting me that Dough had reached the back door. Getting up from my seat, I strolled to the back of the warehouse and waited for them to enter. Dough stepped inside with the nigga tossed over his shoulder like a rag doll. “Where you want him?”
“This way,” I replied and led him to the room. He tossed him onto the floor and took a step back. Nigga lifted his head, and his eyes were low and red. He was good and high off that shit he stole.
“Hey, I know you,” he said. When he opened his mouth, I noticed his front two teeth were missing.
Closing in on him, I kneeled in front of him and said, “By the time I’m done with you, you gon’ wish you didn’t.” Straightening my posture, I yanked him to his feet by the collar of his dingy ass white shirt and pulled him over to the table against the back wall. “We’re ’bout to play a game. You see all these right here?” I asked him, pointing at the row of guns resting on the table.
“Whatcha-whatcha ’bout to do with that?”
“Have you ever heard of the game Russian roulette? We’re ’bout to play my version of it. Sit yo’ bitch ass down.” I shoved him down into the chair and picked up the first gun. “Let’s see which one is going to take yo’ life.”
“What you doing all this for?”
“Don’t play stupid. You touched something that doesn’t belong to you. Now shut the fuck up.” I pressed the gun against his temple and pulled the trigger. It clicked. His eyes expanded.
“Wait, wait. Whatever I took, I can get it back for you. What was it?”
“It’s too late for all that now. You shouldn’t have took it in the first place,” I told him and slid the empty gun onto the counter. “Pick one.”
“Just let me work off the debt. I’m good for it. I promise.”
“Nah, ’cause if I let you get away with fucking with her, everyone else gon’ think they can as well. Pick one. I’m not gon’ tell you again.”
With watery eyes and shaky hands, he reached out toward a Glock. I grabbed it and placed it at the center of his forehead. Click.
“Looks like you’re lucky as fuck,” I taunted, and Dough chuckled. “How ’bout you pick one, Dough. Maybe you’ll be the lucky winner.”
“What do I win?”
“Whatever you want.”
“How ’bout that one over there on the end,” he said, pointing toward the last gun.
I swiped it from the table and pressed it at his head at an angle.
Pow!
Blood and brain matter splattered my face.
“Shit,” Dough said from behind me.
“Guess I owe you some money,” I told him and dropped the gun back onto the table. “Clean this shit up.”
“Already on it,” he replied with his phone in his hand.
I trekked past him to my office to get cleaned up before I left. I was still angry that I allowed something like that to happen. He could’ve taken more than just that necklace from her. Had something happened to her, I wouldn’t ever be able to forgive myself. I was gon’ have to work overtime to make that shit up to her. Now that he was handled, I could breathe a bit better.
Entering my office, I stripped out of my clothes and tossed ’em into a trash bag and then entered the bathroom and turned on the shower. I scrubbed myself clean, making sure not to miss a spot, and got out. Stepping into my closet, I grabbed some briefs, pants, and a t-shirt and got back dressed. By the time I exited my office, Dough had the clean-up crew doing their job. I lingered ’til they were done. Dough and I exited the building. I locked up behind us. When I turned around, I heard tires screeching. Whipping my strap out my waistline, I aimed it toward the truck coming in our direction. Dough did the same. We fired at it, bullets spraying everywhere. There were too many bullets that hit that truck for us to not have hit anyone. It sped off. I heard a thud coming from behind me. When I turned around, I saw Dough lying on the ground in a pool of his own blood.