29. Joker
Joker
“ T here’s been an incident outside. We need you to come down to the lobby,” I was told over the phone. Disconnecting the call, I stepped straight on the elevator to go see what the fuck was going on. When I got down there, I saw Halo standing with the security. My eyes immediately scanned her body. They stopped on her hands where I noticed they were bruised.
“What the fuck going on?”
Halo’s and my gaze synced. She marched over to me and mushed me hard in the chest. I’m certain if she could reach my face, she would’ve slapped the shit out of me. “Aye, what’s wrong with you?” I frowned.
“You fucked her!”
“Fucked who?”
“Don’t play fucking stupid with me. What the hell was she doing here?”
“I don’t know what the fuck you’re talking ’bout.”
“Monica! You fucked that bitch!” By this time, everyone in the lobby was looking on. I hated it whenever people were in my business, so I gripped Halo by the hand and pulled her into a corner in the lobby.
“Watch ya fucking tone. You putting everybody in our got damn business and shit. Now are you gon’ tell me what’s going on ’cause I’m lost.”
“She said you fucked her and she’s pregnant.”
I scratched my head, trying to recall the last time Monica and I had sex. “Ain’t no way she pregnant. I always been careful whenever I went up inside her.”
“So you did fuck her. I can’t believe you.”
She went to walk off, but I caught her by the wrist. “I ain’t touched her in a minute, but I promise I’m ’bout to go see what the fuck is going on. Gone to the house. I’ll be by there later,” I told her. I leaned down to kiss her lips, but she turned her head and my lips landed on the corner of her mouth.
Halo stormed out of the building and hopped into her car. Soon as I stepped outside, the valet ran to get my truck. Pulling my phone from my pocket, I dialed Monica’s number and got no answer. The bitch knew she fucked up, and if she knew better, she’d avoid me at all costs.
My truck stopped in front of me. I slipped my phone back into my pocket and hopped into the driver’s seat. On my way to Monica’s place, I stopped by CVS to grab her a pregnancy test. I wasn’t sure if the ho was pregnant or not. I don’t remember what happened the last time I was with her, but what I did know was that she was up to some shit.
Pulling into the parking lot of the store, I stopped in the first empty space that I saw and got out. I’d never bought a pregnancy test a day in my life, but I was sure that they had to have been over there with the pads and shit.
I strolled ’til I found the aisle and grabbed one of the tests off the shelf. I picked up the most expensive one I saw to make certain the shit worked. Heading back to the cash register, I placed the test on the counter and dug into my pocket for my wallet. If Monica was pregnant by me, I was gon’ take both of our asses out. Ain’t no way I was ’bout to go through life with her as a baby mama. She might as well get ready to see her maker.
“Did you find everything okay?” the cashier asked as she rang up my item.
“Yeah,” I simply answered and swiped my card.
Grabbing my bag, I exited the store and got back into the truck. From CVS, it took me ’bout ten minutes to make it to Monica’s house. I pulled into the driveway behind her car and got out.
Out of all the attention she been wanting from me lately, the moment I call her phone, she didn’t answer. She ain’t even bother to call back either. She was home, so I knew she wasn’t that busy.
Stepping onto the porch, I rang the doorbell and waited two minutes. After not getting an answer, I lifted my foot and kicked the mufucka. The door budged but didn’t fly in. Lifting my foot, I kicked it again and it flew in off the hinges. Monica was nowhere in sight. I trotted down the hallway toward her bedroom door. The closer I got to it, I could hear water running, only meaning that she was in the shower, which was why she hadn’t come running when I kicked her door in.
Entering the bathroom, I stepped to the shower and slid the glass door back. Gripping her by her wet hair, I pulled her out the shower and dragged her toward the toilet.
“Sit,” I instructed her.
“For what?” Not uttering a word, I slung her ass onto the toilet and ripped the box open. “Is that a…”
I stuck my hand between her legs and told her, “Pee.”
“Have you lost yo’ mind?”
“I’m not gon’ tell you again.”
A stream flowed down onto the stick. I placed it on the counter and removed my strap from my waistline and set it next to it. “What’s that for?”
“I’m telling you now, if you’re pregnant, I’m blowing both our brains out.”
“What!” Her eyes protruded.
“According to the box, you got three minutes to pray.”
Her leg began to bounce, and she nibbled on her fingernails. Once the three minutes was up, I picked the test up from the counter and it was negative.
“You one lucky ass bitch. You gon’ stop walking yo’ ass ’round here lying to people and telling ’em you’re pregnant by me.”
“What’s so bad about me having your baby?” Tears streaked her cheeks.
“I’on want to be attached to you for the rest of my life.”
“How can you say something like that to me?”
“It’s the truth.” Turning, I went to leave before I remembered Halo’s conversation, and I halted. “And stay the fuck away from my girl. I’m only gon’ warn you once.”
I stormed out of the house and jumped back into my truck. Before all this Monica bullshit, I was ’bout to leave the house to go check out another lead on one of Dough’s shooters. The first one had already skipped town. His ass knew I was coming for him if he was anywhere in Montgomery.
Pulling into Ridgecrest neighborhood, I turned onto April Street. This was my old hood. I knew all the ins and outs of this place. To find out that someone out here went against me bothered me a bit more.
Stopping in front of the house, I removed my strap from my waistline and climbed out the truck. A couple kids played in the yard across the street and an elderly man sat on the porch on the opposite side of the house. There wasn’t a car in the driveway, but that still didn’t mean no one was home.
I approached the door and knocked on it. After waiting a couple minutes and no one came to it, I turned the knob. The door opened and I pushed it all the way in. Drawing my gun, I eased inside the house. The old wooden floors creaked underneath my feet. A stench hit my nostrils that I knew all too well. I followed the scent ’til I got to the back of the house. A bedroom door was cracked, and I pushed it further open with the barrel of my gun. Lying on the floor face down with a single gunshot wound to the back of the head was David. He was the nigga that I came to question. “Fuck.”