The Pink Palace 2, Page 7

  Only that Jasmine chick thought I was there to take her spot. Shit, she could have it. If this was the old me, I woulda been shut her ass down, but the only thing keeping me there was Malachi holding Dre’s life over my head.

  I’d been so caught up dancing at The Palace again that I hadn’t had time to go check on Dre in the hospital. Look at me lying to myself. I hadn’t gone to see Dre because I felt ashamed of doing that shit again, a life I swore to him I was done with. Didn’t matter, though. After I met Janelle for lunch that day, I was gonna take Tyler to go visit his daddy. I didn’t want him to forget who he was.

  * * *

  An hour later, I drove in to midtown Atlanta to Taco Mac on Peachtree Street and found a spot in the parking garage. When I walked into the restaurant, I saw Janelle with Tyler sitting at a booth, waiting for me. Janelle had ordered some fries and was feeding them to Tyler.

  He looked so much like his father. Janelle had him in a high chair, dressed in his little blue overalls and a mini red polo shirt. He was munching away at his fries when he looked up and spotted me.

  “Mommy,” he beamed.

  “Hey, baby,” I crooned and kissed him. “You been a good boy for Auntie Janelle?”

  He smiled. “Yes.”

  “He’s been a very good boy, Nikki,” Janelle confirmed. “He loves his auntie!”

  I had a seat at the table. “I can’t thank you enough for taking him for the night.”

  Janelle looked at me oddly. “You know Jayson and I don’t mind watching our godson, but this was the third time this week, Nikki. Is everything okay?”

  I smiled nervously. “I’m fine. It’s just with Dre gone, I’ve had to work some extra hours at the store.”

  “Really, Nikki? ’Cause last time I was there, Penny told me you were taking some time off and she was running the store. You’ve been kind of MIA this whole week. So what’s really going on?” Janelle was no dummy. She knew me better than I knew.

  The waitress walked up to the table, giving me an escape from her question. After we placed our orders, I turned my attention to Tyler.

  “Nikki . . .”

  “I’m going to take Tyler to see Dre this afternoon,” I told her before she could ask her question again.

  “That’s good, but you’re avoiding my question. What’s going on with you?”

  I sighed. “Janelle . . . I . . .” I didn’t wanna lie to her, but I couldn’t tell her the truth. “I can’t tell you.”

  She pursed her lips together. “Me? You can’t tell me of all people? Nikki, what the hell is going on? Nikki, if you’re in trouble, I wanna help.”

  “I’m not in trouble. I just need to handle this by myself. Listen, Janelle, you have your own life now and you have Jayson. I was foolish enough to get you involved in the life years ago, and it was the wrong thing to do. Trust me. When the time is right, I’ll let you know what’s up, but for right now, just let me handle this,” I begged her.

  Janelle looked at me with concern. I knew she wanted to help me regardless, but Malachi was just way too dangerous for her to get mixed up with.

  “Okay.” She shook her head. “I’ma let you do what you need to do for now, but you’re going to tell me everything soon. You’re my family, and I love you, Nikki. Anything that affects you affects me.”

  “I know.”

  “Besides, you have to worry about Tyler now. He needs you more than ever.”

  “I’ll do whatever I need to do in order to protect him, Janelle. You don’t have to worry about that,” I assured her.

  And I’ll do anything to protect Dre, too, I thought to myself.

  * * *

  After we finished up lunch, Janelle went home and I drove to Emory Hospital a few blocks away from Taco Mac with Tyler. I hated not telling Janelle what was going on with me, but it was for her own good.

  I took the elevator to Dre’s floor and carried Tyler in my arms to his room. When I walked in Dre’s room, my heart dropped into my stomach. I nearly dropped Tyler as well. My eyes scanned the room from left to right, but it was empty. Dre was gone!

  9

  Marked For Death

  Buckhead, GA

  MALACHI

  I decided to take my daughter Courtney to Lenox Mall to buy her a few things, and of course Latoya had to bring her ass along too. The only two things her ass was good for was lying on her back and spending my money. At least this little shopping spree would shut her damn mouth and keep her out of my hair. I had other concerns on my mind, like what pussyhole had the nerve to rob a shipment of cocaine from me.

  They killed Jorge and his men and took my shit! Even more disturbing was that they knew where Ricky was going to meet Jorge, which told me this was an inside job. I didn’t trust no man, so anybody could have been a suspect. Lucky for Ricky I knew he wasn’t involved because of the eyes I had watching him in his crew. So that meant somebody else was doing this. My brother Reggie wasn’t smart enough to pull that off without fucking it up, so that took him off my list. So who else was that fucking stupid?

  As I was lost in thought about this situation, Latoya walked up to me in Neiman Marcus with her hand out. “Give me your card.”

  I glared at her. “What did you say to me?”

  She rolled her eyes. “I gotta pay for these clothes.”

  “You mean I gotta pay for these clothes. Watch how you ask me for my card.”

  “Whatever,” she said and rolled her neck. “Shit gotta be paid for.”

  “Watch you blood-clot mouth,” I growled through clenched teeth. I wanted to snap her neck right there in the store.

  “Or what? You gonna hit me? The mother of yo’ child,” she dared.

  She didn’t know how close to the edge she was. “You stupid bitch—”

  “Oh, no you didn’t just talk to me like that!”

  “Keep pushing me, Toya, and you have no idea how close you are.”

  “You another one of them crazy-ass Jamaican men, Malachi,” she quipped. “You don’t want the drama I’ma bring to you if you put your hands on me.”

  I grabbed her by her arm and snatched her closer to me. Latoya was shocked, and fear had replaced the arrogance in her face. My grip was so strong I could have yanked her arm out of her socket.

  “Ow! You’re hurting me, Malachi!”

  “I know. Don’t think for a second you’re untouchable, because you can come up missing one day,” I uttered to her menacingly.

  Her eyes widened like saucers and my message became clear to her.

  “Mommy, I wanna go,” Courtney yelled, saving her mother.

  I let her go, and she pulled herself together before Courtney realized the tension between us. “Okay, baby. I was just asking your daddy for something.”

  I handed her my black card, and Courtney ran up to me and hugged my leg.

  “Daddy, can you buy me some ice cream too?”

  “Anything for my baby,” I said to her and smiled. “Go with your mother to the register. I’m going to go to the restroom downstairs.”

  “Okay, Daddy,” Courtney beamed.

  “I’ll meet you in the food court,” I informed Latoya, and she nodded nervously.

  I walked out of the store because I had to get away from that bitch before I killed her. She thought just because she was my child’s mother she could play games with me. Nobody played games with Malachi Turner!

  I went to the lower level of the mall into the food court and into the men’s restroom. As I walked in, I noticed a nigga behind me dressed in khakis and a plaid blue button-down come in behind me. His fro was nappy, skin was a reddish tone, and he was well built. He stuck out.

  I walked all the way to the end of restroom to the last urinal, and he went into a stall. I heard him pissing, so I did the same. I was on the edge, feeling paranoid. Latoya had me unfocused. I swear that bitch would be the death of me if I didn’t kill her first.

  I went to wash my hands and splashed some water on my face. Had to remain calm. Then I saw the
red nigga again behind me in the mirror, walking up on me quick. His hands went under his shirt, and he pulled out a blade. With one swift motion, he stabbed forward.

  I barely had time to move and get my guard up. The knife stabbed my left bicep. Blood sprayed the restroom mirror. He had been aiming for my neck. Pain shot through my body, but I didn’t scream out loud.

  Before he could pull the knife out of me, I tagged him with a nasty right to the jaw, sending him to the floor, I staggered back. He recovered quickly and was on his feet. We mean-mugged each other for a second. I yanked the blade out of my arm and threw it on the ground behind me.

  “Who sent you?”

  He didn’t respond, but instead he pulled out a second blade and attacked me again. He slashed at my face, but I avoided his attack. I could feel my blood soaking my arm. He slashed at me again, and I grabbed his arm. My other hand grabbed his neck, and he gasped for air. I was trying to crush his windpipe. Physically I was bigger, stronger, and meaner.

  I slung him into the mirror head first, shattering it. He dropped the second blade into the sink underneath him. Then I repeatedly smashed his head against the broken glass. He tried to break my grip, but it was too strong. They had sent a man to kill a beast.

  “Who fucking sent you?” I yelled, smashing his head against the mirror again. A bloody smear painted the glass behind him.

  He grimaced. “Fuck you!”

  My hand squeezed tighter, cutting off his air supply. His face turned blue. I decided to return the favor and picked up the blade out of the sink and stabbed him in the arm. He let out an excruciating groan. Then I took the blade and entered his stomach repeatedly. I dropped him on top of the counter.

  He fought for his last breaths before I slashed his throat open, letting the red crimson in his neck fill the white sink.

  I had to move fast. I didn’t know if there were more assassins in wait for me. I picked up both of his blades and put them in my pocket. My fingerprints were on them, and I couldn’t leave them behind. I ripped my sleeve off and wrapped it around my bicep, stopping the bleeding.

  Then it hit me. Courtney. She was there in the mall with killers after me. I pulled out my gun from the small of my back, underneath my shirt. I didn’t need it to deal with this pussyhole, but I didn’t know who else was out there for me.

  I grabbed my cell and dialed Stan’s number. He picked up on the first ring. He was in the car in the parking lot.

  “Boss—”

  “Get in here! Niggas are here to kill me,” I growled to him.

  “Where are you?”

  “The food court! I’m coming out now! Protect my daughter,” I commanded as I crept out to the restroom exit. I hung up.

  I was covered in blood, holding a gun. I was going to have to move fast. A woman walking by stared at me oddly, and I mean-mugged her. She quickly moved on. I walked quickly through the food court to the exit, tucking my gun under my shirt.

  I spotted Latoya and Courtney sitting at a table, waiting for me. Good. She was safe. But then I saw danger.

  The red nigga hadn’t been alone. I spotted four of them by the exits, looking at me. They were wearing shades and dressed in big jackets. My daughter was in the middle.

  I moved to the other side of the food court through the crowd of people. The killers moved with me, away from Latoya and Courtney. Another person noticed my bloody arm and pointed me out to his friend.

  I brushed by a few more people, and the assassins closed in on me. They were twenty-five, maybe thirty feet away. They weren’t going to let me escape the food court, so I decided to draw first blood. I aimed my cannon and let thunder explode from the barrel. I hit a killer in the face, giving him a closed casket funeral. Blood sprayed all over people walking by.

  “Bring it on, pussyholes!” I yelled.

  Pandemonium erupted as the people in the food court shrieked and ran for cover. The killers pulled out their steel and returned my hollow tips. Men screamed like bitches.

  Bodies hit the ground as I dove behind the counter of an Auntie Anne’s. Mayhem had just been let loose as Lenox Mall had just turned into Afghanistan. Bullets couldn’t tell who was an innocent bystander in this war. Pools of blood covered the floor as the gunmen took cover behind pillars and restaurant counters. Balls of fire flew over my head. They had me boxed in. I only had a few more bullets in my clip. Death was closing in on me.

  “Yuh coming for me?” I defiantly shouted. “Yuh bumbaclot coming for me? Yuh want to murda me? Come get me, pussyholes! I got hot fire for yuh rass-hole! I murda yuh all!”

  I should have seen this coming. Then my heart dropped into my belly as I saw her.

  “Daddy!” Courtney yelled as she broke free from Latoya.

  A gunman turned and aimed his cannon at her, and thunder erupted.

  NIKKI

  Dre was gone. His room looked like it hadn’t been occupied in days.

  Fear washed over me, and I quickly ran out of the room with Tyler in my arms. I spotted a nurse walking by.

  “Where’s Andre?” I yelled frantically.

  “Ma’am?”

  “Andre Wade! He was in room 415!”

  “Ma’am, calm down.”

  “Don’t tell me to calm down. Tell me where my man is!”

  I didn’t care how loud or rude I was. I wanted answers. Tears filled my eyes, and Tyler started to cry too, seeing me so distressed.

  “Okay, let me find out,” the white nurse said calmly. She ran to the nurses’ station.

  He couldn’t have died. All this time I didn’t see him. I hugged Tyler tightly as tears ran down my face. I didn’t know if he was trying to console me or I was trying to calm him down.

  The nurse called to me. “Miss Bell?”

  “Yes. Where’s my fiancé?”

  “Two days ago, Andre Wade was taken into protective custody by the FBI.”

  “The FBI? Why?”

  “The FBI said because they found the same shell casings at the scene of a homicide that were used in his shooting, they decided to keep him somewhere undisclosed.”

  “But that’s my child’s father! How will I know if he’s all right?”

  “Ma’am, you’ll have to contact the FBI.”

  She turned and walked away, and I was left even more confused than ever. On the one hand, I should have been glad Dre was under protection, but I had no idea where he was. I had to find out where he was, but in the meantime, I could tell Malachi to kiss my ass!

  10

  Relaxers

  Buckhead, GA

  MALACHI

  A gunman turned and aimed his cannon at Courtney and thunder erupted. The sound of an AK-47 ripping through flesh and leaving brain matter all over the food court floor came next.

  Bump had followed my orders to the letter and protected Courtney by murdering the gunman aiming for her. The other two assassins decided to break out and escape through the restaurant exit.

  “Daddy?” Courtney looked around, confused and scared.

  “Courtney!” Latoya yelled and ran to her.

  I jumped over the counter and ran to her as well. She hugged me tight.

  “Boss! We have to go,” Bump advised.

  “Yes, you did good,” I told him. I looked at Latoya. She was shook. “Come!”

  We ran out of the mall with Bump leading the way to the parking lot, and jumped in the back of the Bentley. Bump burned out of the mall parking lot, and in minutes we were on the Georgia 400 North, heading to a safe house. Latoya was still holding Courtney tight, neither one saying a word. My little girl had seen death for the first time. Her innocence had just been lost.

  As silence enveloped the car, we all heard a knocking noise coming from the trunk.

  “What is that?” Latoya asked me.

  “Bump, what’s in the back?”

  “After you called me, I spotted a nigga in the parking lot with a gat waiting, so I crept up on him and knocked his ass out and put him in the trunk. Figure you may wanna ask him some
questions,” Bump informed me.

  “Yes, I have a few questions indeed.”

  * * *

  Twenty minutes later, we got to a safe house in Alpharetta. Couldn’t take a chance of going home to Dunwoody. Could be more killers waiting for me. I called Ricky and Reggie and told them to meet me there and to bring the crew. This was now war, and I needed my soldiers with me.

  I called my personal doctor to come clean and stitch up my wound. He was there within a half hour to bandage up my stab wound.

  After I made sure Courtney and Latoya were safely settled in the house, I went down to the basement, where Bump was working on the asshole that came to murder me. I came downstairs with a plastic bag filled with things I needed, and the fool was tied to a chair as Bump pounded his face with his massive fists.

  The bastard was tough. He was still mean-mugging Bump, not saying a word. I needed answers. I needed to know who was coming after me, and simply killing this nigga wasn’t what I needed to happen.

  “Bump.”

  He paused and looked at me.

  “What has he said?”

  “Nothing yet.”

  Just then Ricky and Reggie came down the stairs and joined us.

  “Boss, who’s this?” Ricky asked.

  “One of the pussyholes who came to murda me.”

  “All the news channels are talking about what went down at Lenox Mall, Malachi. They calling it a blood bath,” Reggie informed me.

  “Any mention of me?”

  “No. They don’t have any video or anything posted yet. The police are still investigating it,” Ricky told me.

  I turned and looked at the nigga in the chair. “Who hired you?”

  He didn’t say anything, and Bump punched him again, but he barely grunted.

  “Don’t waste your energy, Bump. A nigga like this won’t break like this.” I stared at his bruised and battered face and noticed his bald head had lumps too. “But you will tell me what I need to know. This is your last chance to tell me what I want to know.”