Page 19 of The Hellcat Barbies: Aubree

brASI

Looking over my shoulder, I saw a guy walking toward me, and I studied his face to see if I recognized him. The closer he got, I couldn’t recall a name, but his face looked familiar.

“Brasi, what up? You might not remember me. We were locked up together in West Hill. My name is Kyle. I was on the yellow unit.”

I bobbed my head as recognition set in. “What’s up?”

“Shit, I been hoping to run into you for about a week. My people wants to have a conversation with you. I don’t know if you know her, but her name is Anika. She used to fuck with Nice. She’s been trying to figure out a way to get in touch with you.”

My brows furrowed, and I thought back to shorty that was at the crib when I went to get the brick from him. “Why does she want to talk to me?” my guard went up instantly. I didn’t have business with her, and I doubted she had any with me.

“I’m not even sure man. Whatever it is, she wants to tell you bad, and she doesn’t want to talk over the phone.

She’s staying with me out in Oak Crest apartments.

I swear to God it ain’t no funny business, bro.

I got a job at the post office, and I’m on my square shit.

Prison is not for me, and I’m not going back. ”

I eyed him skeptically. Kyle was about 5’9 and couldn’t weigh more than 160 pounds.

In prison, he kept to himself. Was real quiet and shit.

Word was, he was in there for numerous DUI’s.

I never got the vibe that he was in the streets for real.

Still, I wasn’t going to his spot with money on me or dope in my car.

I was taking my gun in with me, and I was going to let Cook wait outside in the car.

“I got moves to make right now.” I continued to study him.

“It’s all good. I was off today, and I’ve just been running errands and hanging around the crib. I’ll give you my address. Whenever you stop by, if I’m not there, Kina will be.”

“Bet.”

I was curious as hell about what shorty wanted.

Before I even started the car, I texted Cook and asked him if he was busy.

He had a crazy work schedule that was rarely the same from week to week.

When he told me he’d be off in an hour, I let him know what was up, and I made money until he was ready to link with me. I picked him up from his house.

“Where this nigga live?” he asked as soon as he got in the car.

“Oak Crest.”

Cook stroked his chin. “That’s not a bad area.

Not the best either, but it’s mixed with low income and middle class.

He might not be inviting you over on no funny shit.

I don’t think Oak Crest is the area where people will let shit go down and turn their heads the other way. It’s some snitches out there for sure.”

“We’ll see. I don’t have shit on me but a gun. No money and no dope. So, if it is a setup, he damn sure won’t get shit. I’m just interested in what shorty could have to tell me.”

“She’s probably mad with Nice and wants to throw you the pussy or something. You know these broads can get real trife when a man pisses them off. First thing they do is try to fuck his opps or his friend.”

“I’m not either one,” I frowned. I meant it when I told Nice we didn’t have beef, but he wasn’t my friend either.

“She might not know that.”

When I arrived at Kyle’s building, I saw the car he’d been driving at the store in the parking lot. I told Cook he could wait in the car, but he wasn’t hearing it. We exited the car simultaneously. A few seconds after I knocked, the door opened, I came face to face with Kyle.

“What up, Brasi? Come in.” He had a bowl of Ramen noodles in his hand and was shirtless.

My eyes darted around the space. It was sparsely furnished but clean.

After only a few steps, I spotted Nika sitting on the couch, and my brows immediately lifted.

Someone had done her dirty. I could tell she was in the healing phase.

Her left eye was droopy and had a nasty purple ring around it.

There was also a gash in the center of her forehead that had been stitched up.

I didn’t plan on staying long, so there was no need to sit.

“You got something you want to tell me?”

“Yeah, I do.” When Nika spoke, I could see the space where one of her teeth had been.

“I don’t want you to think I’m foul for telling you this because I’m mad at Nice, but you need to know.

Of course, when I first found out, I wasn’t going to tell anyone because he was my man, and I was loyal to him in all ways.

But Nice is the one that killed your brother, Ish. ”

My blood ran cold. It felt like literal ice was running through my veins. I ground my molars together, but I didn’t speak.

“That night, he told me he was going to meet Ish to reup. Normally, after he reups, he’s gone until the wee hours of the morning, but he came back like two or three hours later acting real jittery.

He was pacing and just acting spooked. I asked him what was wrong, but before he could answer, my homegirl hit me up and told me Ish was dead.

I thought maybe that’s why he was acting like that.

Because he found out his friend was dead. But that wasn’t it.”

It was imperative for me to keep my cool. I needed to get the whole story, but the fluctuation of emotions coursing through my body had me on some other shit. My fists balled at my sides, but I didn’t speak. I just waited for her to finish her story.

“It was like five in the morning, and he still hadn’t come to bed.

I got up to use the bathroom, and I heard him on the phone.

He was telling someone that it wasn’t supposed to go like that, but he felt like Ish was trying to son him.

He wanted to be in the position that Ish was, but he didn’t want to work for it.

He didn’t want to buy the work. He felt like Ish should put him on.

He even took Ish’s keys and went in his apartment after he killed him, but he couldn’t find anything. ”

That nigga had smiled in my face. Talked about my brother like he really had love for him. I wanted to put a bullet in him for every time I’d heard him speak Ish’s name since I’d been home. I glared at Nika.

“You telling me this while you’re mad, but when you and that nigga make up, should he turn up dead, then you’re going to be running around telling people I killed him.”

Nika drew back. “Hell nah. I’m not even like that.

I never would have even told you had he not beat me like he did.

All Nice did was cheat on me. I forgave him time after time but when I finally decided to stand on business and leave, he beat me so bad, I had to go to the ER.

I have to spend thousands of dollars to get my tooth replaced.

And he’s still stalking me. I’m pretty much hiding out here at my cousin’s place.

I hate that nigga. If he dies, he dies, and I put that on everything.

As far as me running my mouth, I come from a long line of gangsters.

One thing I don’t speak on is what a nigga might have done. ”

It sounded good, but I wasn’t sure if I could trust her.

Whether I could trust her or not, Nice was going to get dealt with.

I wasn’t sure how much dope he was supposed to cop from Ish when he killed him but whatever it was, I was sure after he killed Ish he took it.

He also took the money and jewelry that Ish had on him.

That nigga came up off killing and robbing my brother, and he really looked me in the face and acted like he wanted to give me a brick because he was such a standup guy.

“Thank you for telling me,” I mumbled. My blood went from being ice cold to boiling.

In the car, I stared straight ahead. “I told you I didn’t like that nigga. I got snake vibes from his bitch ass,” Cook stated in a low tone filled with disgust. “Bitch ass nigga.”

I realized I was still sitting there when Cook offered to drive.

Snapping out of the trance I was in, I started the car and pulled off abruptly.

Had it been anybody else, I would have been happy to finally have answers.

The way Nice played in everybody’s face.

My mother, mine, I wanted to empty a clip in his ass, but I had to play it smart.

A murder charge would have me down way longer than six years.

When I pulled up to drop Cook off, he spoke for the first time since we were at Kyle’s place. “Come in and smoke something, fam. I know you on a hunnid over there. I don’t want you going and doing anything crazy. Anything you do, is well justified, but just be cool about it.”

I had plenty of common sense. Anything that Cook or anyone else could try to tell me, I already knew it.

But how many times did we let our common sense fly out the window?

I didn’t need lectures, but I could for sure use a blunt.

Getting out of the car, it felt like an elephant was sitting on my chest. No words were spoken as Cook rolled the blunt. After he lit it, he took a long toke.

“I know what that bitch said, but you for sure gotta move smart simply because she knows too much. He might have done her dirty, but I’ve seen chicks be loyal to men even after they’ve done way worse than that. Her ass isn’t to be trusted.”

“For sure. I’m already knowing.”

I scrubbed one hand down my face as I inhaled deeply ready for the fumes dancing in the air to be inside my lungs.

The smell of marijuana had my mouth watering.

Mainly because I knew my nervous system needed it.

Once Cook passed the blunt to me, I felt like a fiend as I hit it anxiously three times back to back.

The feeling of euphoria that the drug caused wasn’t even enough to completely calm me down, but I was finally able to relax the muscles in my face.

I had been frowning nonstop since Nika dropped that bomb on me.

When the blunt was finished, I left and went to the ABC store.

Aubree texted me as I was chugging a miniature bottle of Hennessy.

I was so numb, the burn in my throat and chest from the room temperature cognac didn’t even bother me.

Rather than text her back, I went to her house.

I had no clue how I looked, but it must have been questionable.

As soon as she laid eyes on me, her brows hiked.

“Hey. You good?”

“Not really. I just want to take a shower and lay in the bed.” I was sure that sounded odd seeing as how it was barely even dark out, but I didn’t care. I had a few pairs of boxer briefs, some tees, and basketball shorts at Aubree’s house.

“Okay.” I could tell she was concerned, but she didn’t ask any questions and for the moment, that was how I preferred it.

In the shower, all I could think about was how I could kill Nice and get away with it.