Читать книгу Ghetto Girls 3 - Anthony Whyte - Страница 6

ONE

No Standing Any Time

Read the sign above the black, Range Rover on chromes. The rims were still spinning and two burly bodyguards remained seated in plush leather, air condition comfort, waiting for Deedee’s return. One of them doubled as a chauffeur, sat in the driver’s seat. The other, remote in hand, switched the radio dial to a local station.

The news and weather report were in progress: “March 9 97 Biggie Smalls was shot to death out in LA while listening to his joint; I’m going back to Cali… Today on the sixth anniversary of his death we will remember the legend coming right after the weather. Right now New York stand up… Fordham Road in the Bronx, Jamaica Ave, Queens... up in the streets of Harlem... you’re in tune to the best Hip Hop ‘n’ R&B sounds in town. It’s three ‘o’ five and right about now we’d like to take it back to the streets of Brooklyn with the sounds of Notorious B.I.G. This is ‘Warning.’”

The disk jockey said his piece and a raw, pulsating drum and bass laced with the lyrical flow of rap legend, Biggie Smalls followed. The classic knocked hard through the streets.

…Who the hell is this?

Paging me at 5:46 in the morning

Crack a dawn now I’m yawn n,

wipe the cold out my eye,

See who’s this paging me and why…?

The rhythmic spit of the Notorious B.I.G. banged clear through Bose Acoustics Systems speakers echoing through the hectic, city sidewalk, reverberating from buildings. The sound almost over shadowed the sight of several people running from out of the same building Deedee and her friend went into earlier.

“What d’ya thinks is going down?” The curious bodyguard asked.

“Where?” The driver answered with a shrug. Without taking a second glance, he went back to bopping his head to the rap legend.

…It’s my nigga pop from the barbershop

Told me he was in the gambling spot

and heard the intricate plot…

“Sump’n gotta be up…” The grumble came from the concerned bodyguard.

The driver peered from smoked window and mumbled something inaudible. He saw the clamor in front of the building but quickly dismissed it.

“Nah, sump’n definitely up,” the guard said.

“I’m saying ya always see niggas running,” the driver quipped. “Most o’ them don’t even know why they running. They just run to be running. Like my man, Cedric the Entertainer sez, ‘don’t take much to set black folks off running.’ Niggas think they hear sump’n strange they ain’t turning around to find out what happened? They be like ‘see ya.’” The driver chuckled. A few more people darted from the building as if it was on fire.

“Sump’n ain’t right. Deedee went up in that building, and as far as I know, she’s still up there. We getting paid to make sure nothing goes wrong with her. Matter fact, it was her Uncle who said ‘Make sure no harm comes to not even a strand of her hair.’ I’m a go take a look, ahight.” He checked his weapon and exited the vehicle.

“I ain’t mad. I’ll be right here. Hit me if there’s problems.” The driver held his cell phone high.

The bodyguard walked away from the vehicle and headed to the entrance of the building.

“What’s going on up in there?” He asked pointing to the building where a couple of teens were pitching.

“A bunch a bitches up on the third floor arguing ‘bout some man or sump’n, you know the usual. But big man, big man check this out we got dat, ya heard?” Before he could turn toward the door, he overheard a conversation. “Man, you know that bitch straight up lesbian, man. That bitch ain’t fighting over no man that bitch fighting over some other bitch.”

“Ah, there you go again hatin’ cuz the bitch ain’t givin’ you none, petty ass nigga.”

“I ain’t bout it like that, cuz I got mines.”

“Man, leave me alone. I got what you need right here.”

The burly bodyguard walked away leaving the two teens still pitching.

“Fighting?” He repeated perplexed, then gathered speed only to bump into another teen on his way out the building. Walking fast and breathing hard the bodyguard attempted to engage him.

“Hey yo, hey yo, yeah you, what’s going on up in the building?”

The teen paused shrugged her shoulders before saying: “I don’t know man,” she said out of breath.

“These girls were scrapping on the third floor and one o’ them pulled out a hammer and let off,” another person volunteered as she quickly moved past the bodyguard.

When the beefy security reached the third floor, he heard a chilling scream over his heavy breathing.

“Someone please call 911!” Coco cried for help. The guard hurriedly sought Deedee and grabbed her by the arm.

“Are you okay?” He asked with urgency.

“Yes, yes I’m fine,” Deedee said as her fingers frantically worked her cell phone. “We have an emergency. What’s the name of these houses?” Deedee asked repositioning herself trying to get better transmission.

“Ah… Malcolm X,” someone shouted.

“Ah… I’m not sure. I can’t hear you… I don’t have good reception. An older lady might be dead…”

Coco grabbed the phone, “We need an ambulance right away, someone fired a gun and a lady is down… I don’t know? Just send the ambulance right away thank you. It’s the corner of one-tenth and Lenox, hurry.” Coco hurried back to where Miss Katie’s body laid. “The ambulance will be here soon, Miss Katie. Please hold on it won’t be long now. Please hold on.” Coco held her hand pleading, tears streaming.

“Coco, maybe we should move her inside, I’ll ask the bodyguard to help carry her…”

“You think she’s dead, Dee?”

“I don’t know Coco. She’s not moving. Is she breathing or anything…?”

“I can hardly tell. Miss Katie, Miss Katie, Miss Katie…” Coco cowered as she wailed over Miss Katie’s body. “Damn, why?”

Deedee tried to hug Coco but the bodyguard came and pulled her away.

“We gotta go. The ambulance is on its way. I think she can handle it from here,” he said.

“Let me go.” Deedee ordered. “I have to stick around. Coco is going to need me. After these two ah…bimbos on the elevator jumped us and when the police come I’ll have to…”

“It’s all good, Dee. It wasn’t your beef to begin with. Kim and I have been going at it for a minute now.”

“What about the other girl with her? She shot at us.”

“Dee, I appreciate it and all, but you don’t have to get involved any further. I told you, this bullshit been going on between them two and me, ever since that nigga, Deja’s been murk.”

“Deja?”

“Call me I’ll tell you later.” The girls hugged and Coco sat next to Miss Katie’s body.

On the street, Deedee stepped into the parked Range Rover and watched as the police led the way into the building with firefighters and the EMTs in the rear.