The Face That Launched A Thousand Bullets (The Cartel Publications Presents) (19 page)

“You rollin’ wit me?” Cray asked. “Cause I ain’t goin’ straight home.”

“Where we goin?”

“I got to handle somethin’ right quick.”

He gave him the look that said murder was on his agenda.

“I guess I’m rollin’ wit you then.”

At The Picnic

The park was crowded with families there for the big picnic. Cray scanned the area for the police and didn’t see any nearby. There were so many people out there he could barely drive. So he parked, got out, and looked for Tip, the dude who owed Melody money. He didn’t understand why people didn’t get it through their heads that Melody wasn’t playing when it came to his dough. He couldn’t count the number of bodies he dropped.

Although the park was jammed pack, he knew Tip wouldn’t be hard to spot. And just as he thought, he stood out as he groped some short girl with dark blue hair. Cray hoped for her sake that she could carry his weight when he popped his punk ass.

Carefully he approached his target, heat in hand. He had to be quick because there were already a few people who recognized him. Cray’s rep whistled throughout BMore and he’d earned the name the Reaper.

“Main man, you got change for a …POP!”

He hit him in his head with a hot slug and watched him fall onto the girl in front of him.

When she moved he toppled to the grown eyes wide open. His body started shaking violently. And to be sure he was dead, Cray walked up on him and…Pop…Pop…Pop! Three more into his body.

Kneeling over him he said, “You shoulda paid up. Now you’re number 128.” He continued referring to how many people he killed in a lifetime.

With his work now done, he calmly walked away.

On His Steps

“You sure you can handle this?” Melody asked him after Cray told him how he felt about wanting a change in position. “Cause I don’t like my money fucked wit.”

They were outside, in the same place where seventeen years ago he knocked the wind out of his undeveloped chest for touching his car.

“Positive.” Cray said with his hands in his pockets rocking from side to side.

Melody exhaled, walked a few feet away, and went back over to Cray.

Cray wanted to be put on but he wasn’t about to beg his bitch ass either. If he didn’t put him on, he had plans to be his worse enemy.

“You can trust me.” Cray offered hoping it would be the deal breaker.

“A’ight, Cray,” Melody said as if he should rethink his decision. “I’ma try you out tonight with my D.C. folks who move my product from NY. He’s the only one I trust outside of J-Swizz to handle biz. Normally, I meet him myself, but since you want it, I’ma give it to you.”

“I got…”

“I’m not finished,” he said, cutting him off. “If everything goes as planned, you’ll get more work. Got it?”

“Yeah,” Cray said, trying not to be too anxious even though this was the break he needed. The only problem was he hated DC cats to the core!

“If my weight’s off just a little, you might as well put a bullet in your head, cause what I’ll do to you will be far worse.”

Cray shook his head.

“ I’m the same dude who cracked your chest back in the day, lil nigga. Remember that.” Melody stated staring him down.

Cray listened but he had a news flash for Mr. Melody. He may have been the same dude who cracked his chest, but he wasn’t a kid no more. He was a cold-hearted killer who wouldn’t hesitate to put it to anybody who tested him. And that included the nigga who put him on.

At Home

Cray was returning home from D.C early in the morning, half sleepy after being in the hospital with Markise who had just gotten into a motorcycle accident. He’d already dropped Melody’s dope off at his house but had to dip right back out after receiving the call from Jason that he was hurt. Nobody said it, but his ball playing career was over. Luckily for Markise outside of a few broken bones, he would be alright and still able to walk.

He almost dosed off on the road when he heard a cab driver pressing repeatedly on his horn behind him at the light. The cab driver had long blond hair and was swearing at him out his window. Just to fuck with him, Cray looked out his window and pointed his weapon in his direction. The cab driver through his hands up in the air and shook his head pleading with him not to shoo. Cray laughed and pulled off.

But the moment he entered his house and the hallway leading to his room, he couldn’t help but feel that something was different. Turning the doorknob, he removed the gun from his waist, and tiptoed stealthily inside. Once inside, he saw his father kneeling on the floor peeling the plastic back off of one of Melody’s keys. He was enraged. All his life his father violated him and he was tired. Aiming at him he cocked the hammer and saw his life flash before his eyes.

Nyzon Peate

Washington DC

Family Ties

N
yzon was laying in Gabriella’s bed, trying to think of the right thing to say to convince her to slide out of her panties. It was late in the afternoon and he was hoping to get some pussy before handling his business. It was hard for her to resist because Nyzon was finer than ever. He wasn’t sportin’ the waves anymore, but he did keep his hair in a low cut and knew how to wear his clothes. Not to mention, he was getting a little money from transporting some of the best heroin from New York that the east coast had ever seen..

“Gabriella…you know I’m feelin’ you, right?” he said, laying on his side looking into her eyes. They were facing each other.

“I guess.” She shrugged her shoulders playing with his platinum diamond chain. “But you like my best friend too.” She grabbed a pillow, placing it between her legs.

“I know, but she ain’t as sexy as you.” He dug deep into his Game database. “I can see spendin’ the rest of my life with you.” He went too far, and he knew it.

“Monesha told me you said the same thing to her.”

He was becoming sloppy with the game he ran on chicks but he wanted to fuck her so badly, he didn’t care. He loved the chase and he broke hearts on a regular. It was all about fucking, getting money and flossing. Besides, he’d been with Monesha since high school and she still hadn’t put out.

“I don’t remember sayin’ all that.” He lied. “I’m serious, Gab, I’m tryin’ to get to know you.” He touched her face.

“Nyzon…,” she said softly letting her guards down. “You messin’ wit my head.”

“I don’t mean to be.” He said as he pulled up her shirt. He licked his lips when he was able to see the brownness of her nipples. “But you shouldn’t be so fuckin’ sexy.”

The next thing she knew he had one of her titties in his mouth. He was quick and then his phone vibrated.

“Shit!”

He was about to ignore it until he remembered he needed to meet with Melody to deliver the keys.

“Hold on, shawty.” He looked at the number. “Give me a sec.”

“Go ‘head.” She pouted. “I guess I betta go to the bathroom and wipe myself off. And to think…I was gettin’ real wet.”

After hearing that he wanted to punch Melody in the throat for interrupting.

“What up?” he answered the phone watching her sash-shay away with that phat ass toting behind her.

“Change of plans. Same place. Same Car. New Person. Blonde Hair.”

“Got it.” He said hanging up. Nyzon never said too much over the phone.

When he looked at his Rolex, he saw he had thirty minutes to make it home, grab the Keys and pass them off. And then he’d have to rush to the bank to drop his dough off in his safe deposit box. Judging by the description, it would be a white dude, with blonde hair who was driving the rental car Melody usually used that was in a crack head’s name.

“Gab, I got to go. Can I come through later?” He walked up to her and palmed her ass.

“It depends.”

“On what?” Nyzon asked, kissing her forehead.

“On if you bringin’ me a five piece chicken dinner with fries from Eddies. With mumbo sauce too.”

“Got it, shawty.”

“Call me when you on your way,” Gabriella yelled in the hallway. “I don’t play that pop up shit!”

“No doubt.”

In Her Apartment

“Girl, he fell for it.” Gabriella said watching him jump into his car from her bedroom window.

“I’m so sorry, Monie. If you want to, you can spend the night with me.” She said, hoping to get her in the bed again. She missed the softness of her skin against her own. They’d been playing the
Kissing Game
since high school.

“Maybe,” Monesha said, breathing hard due to being angry. “I want to catch him in the act first.”

“I can set it up!” Gabriella told her excited at the idea of him finally being gone from their lives.

“How soon?”

“Tonight! It ain’t nothin’ but a thing. Maybe now he’ll finally get what he deserves for hurting you.”

In Nyzon’s Car

With the keys on him in a blue book bag, he waited patiently in his black Acura Legend for Melody’s rental. Five minutes later the rental car pulled up. When he saw the blond hair Melody was talking about belonged to a nigga, he laughed.
These Baltimore cats be killin’ me!
He thought.

Nyzon got out of his ride and jumped into the rental. They stared each other down for one minute. For some reason, there was immediate tension between them.

“Are you gonna suck my dick or give me the keys?” Cray asked.

“Naw shawty, but with all that beautiful blonde hair, I might let you suck mine.” Nyzon retaliated.

Both of them reached for their birds and aimed them at one another. Had anybody flinched, the entire car would’ve been riddled with bullets.

“Do you really want it with me?” Nyzon asked, still aiming in his direction.

“Where are they?”

“Here.” He threw the book bag at him with his free hand.

Cray opened the bag and briefly inspected the contents. “Now get the fuck out my car.”

Still aimed.

Nyzon exited backward and slammed the door extra hard.

“Bamma mothafucka!”

“Fuck your slouch-sock-wearin-country-bumpkin, ass!” Cray called out.

When he pulled off, Nyzon hoped he’d never see his ass again.

At The Bank

Nyzon didn’t go straight back to Gabriella’s like he wanted because the moment he went home, the police surrounded his neighborhood on a drug sting. So he stayed over Royala’s crib since the bank, which held the safe deposit box he used, didn’t open until morning.

The moment it opened, he called Gabriella and offered to bring her some breakfast instead, before dropping off his money. He had thirty minutes before Gabriella said she’d lock the door. He rushed through the banks doors and the moment he saw an available attendant, he ran up to her.

“Excuse me, can you get somebody to let me into my safe deposit box?”

“Excuse me young man but I was next.” A man said in a black shirt and blue jeans.

“I’m sorry sir…but if I don’t get in there right now, I’ll lose out on a woman I’ve been tryin’ to get at forever.”

The stranger smiled and said, “Go head. I know how that is.”

“Thanks.” Nyzon smiled as the attendant instructed him to sign in and escorted him to the safe.

The way he saw it in less than twenty minutes, he’d be having the time of his life, and that’s all that mattered.

Back at Gabriella’s

Nyzon sat in his car for a minute adjusted his chain, looked in the rear view mirror and approved of how he looked. But the moment he walked up to Gabriella’s building, two dudes jumped out from the corners and grabbed him. They punch and kicked him all over his body. The oldest one of the two stood him up straight and was preparing to hit him again until he looked at his face.

“Hold up,” he said, eyeing him closely. “What’s your name?”

“What, mothafucka?” he yelled, blood in the corner of his mouth.

“I said what’s your name, lil nigga?”