"it's a secret society.. all we ask is trust.. all we got is us... LOVE'S GONNA GET YOU KILLED." ... ... "Ten fo'.. no switching sides.. feel somethin' wrong.. you acting shifty..."
SONG: LOYALTY BY KENDRICK LAMAR FEAT RIHANNA
I jump out of the shower, shivering and shaking-- okay, okay Aisha, I talk to myself, with my fingers trembling I'm so cold, trying to pull on some Gucci jeans and a shirt as fast as I can-- help me God, we never saw it, we never saw it-- somebody knocks on my bedroom door and then kicks it hard as hell - my lil' boy so fuckin' off the chain-
"Wait Doonk!" I tell him through the door when he kicks it hard as FUCK again. Bad ass!
"Daddy! Mama! Mooomama!" he yells. I hurry up and open it and my baby walks in draggin' his wagon with all them damn leggo blocks in it-
"Don't bring that shit in here Doonk! Nope, wait, come on," I stop him and grab his hand.
"Where my daddy? Daddy!" he yells, and my heart hurts.
"He not here, come on," I pull my baby.
"Mama make Tunchi play," he tells me.
"Okay baby, I will, come on," I tell him with my mind racing while I almost throw up, my stomach so queasy. I hit the intercom on the wall at the top of the stairs, making myself stay up--
"Miss Mary come get my baby please," I say... oh Lord, oh Lawd, oh shit-- my mind ticks..
And I keep on down the stairs, gripping the staircase with one hand and holding onto my baby's hand with the other one, for support. Help me Jesus. I pray to myself, and Vaughn meets me on the second floor. And I feel so much better. Lord hammercy!
"Theo Arlington called me, Aisha I could fuckin' kiss you! But I know better," Vaughn tells me trying to hurry up and put on a tie.
"Wait! Wait I got sum'm to tell you!" I hiss to Vaughn.
"What?"
"Hol' hol up," I tell him when I hear Miss Mary coming. But Muffin comes out of her room in her robe with her hair all fucked up. Po' Muffin.
"Gimme kiss," she tells my baby and he puts his head up for her to kiss him.
"Take him on to Miss Mary, you alright?" I ask Muffin when she grabs my baby's hand.
"No," she tells me. I know.
"I know Muffin," I tell her.
"What?" Vaughn asks me and I pull him back in his and Vonsha's room and shut the door.
"What?" Vaughn asks me again.
"Danielle alright, you alright?" Vonsha asks me with her eyes so puffy from crying it's crazy.
"She sleep, and I need for you to go up there and stay wit her so you'll be there if she wakes up, but hol' up first," I whisper, going through there room. I get on my knees on the floor and look up under the bed. Paranoid.
"Whatchu lookin' for?" Vonsha watches me.
"A bug, anything," I whisper back.
"Me and Boonie and Brody and Ruff already did that, ain't shit in here, what's up?" Vaughn asks me again, worrying and nervous.
I stare at them.
"I know who snitched on Delontae," I whisper and they get right up on me.
"Who?!" Vaughn asks me.
"It's Monique," I mouth.
"Monqiue?!" Vaughn hisses, and Vonsha's mouth drops open when Vaughn's eyes buck. He looks over his shoulder and grabs me and and Vonsha, pulling us in the bathroom..
"What?! How you know-"
"I was watching the cameras when she came out of her room early this morning, to ask Boonie was he okay, she was in her robe. She went back in her room and when she pulled off her robe, I didn't think about it at first. But the bitch had on Delontae's shirt. She was rubbing herself, rubbin' the shirt while she was writing. She slept in one of my husband's shirts!" I hiss! And Vonsha backs up with her lip turned up like no that bitch didn't, what da fuck? I nod. Vaughn just wipes his face.
"Wow," he whispers. I nod.
"She's so quiet. I never noticed it, but she was probably standing in the doorway when Delontae shot Lot," I admit and Vaughn's eyes buck again.
"Oh shit, he did it for real?" Vaughn acts like he about to shit on himself. I nod, crying..
"He did, he did it Vaughn. But I know who saw it and they would never tell, none of us, but I forgot about her. We always forget about her, she's so quiet, she's probably been lurking, right up under us gotdammit, the whole time. She so fucking quiet! She probably crept up and stood in the doorway of Lot's room, and watched it all, I know it's her, in my gut I can feel it. Why the fuck she sleeping in my man's shirt?!" I hiss and my tears come harder. Vonsha puts her arm around my shoulder.
"Stay calm! Stay calm, lemme handle it, shit, just wait, let me think, let me think," Vaughn is breathing all hard.
"She was writing in a journal," I add in a whisper, shivering my ass off, in a rage.
"A journal? Writing what, so -- oh my God -- but if she secretly in love with Delontae why would she snitch?" Vonsha whispers and grabs me and hugs me tighter. I cry into her shoulder.
"It came to me when I was washing myself.. she helped wash me and Delontae.. the blood off us. Back when I first moved in here. Me and Delontae -- we got into some shit, and she helped her mama wash us in the tub -- I've been giving her shit, buying her shit Vonsha, I got her teeth fixed, trying to help her lose weight, I've been listening to her and helping her, being her friend-"
"Stop, stop, calm down. I need for ya'll to calm down. Delontae's life is in our hands," Vaughn whispers, and my fuckin' strength and anger rises up even more-
"I want that bitch dead. I want her dead! If she's dead. She can't snitch on the stand," I whisper!
"We ain't gotta killl her. It's even better if we don't, and the bitch changes her story," Vaughn lets me know. He bites his lip.
"What about her mama?" he stares at me about Miss Mary. My heart hurts.
"I don't know, I thought about it and I don't think so. I told her to take Zo just now, just like I always do because I don't think-"
"Oh HELL naw! Her mama bet not gotdammit-" Vonsha turns around to go get my baby, her Godson -- I grab her arm and Vaughn grabs the other one.
"They ain't that stupid. Aisha did right, stop! Calm down," Vaughn whispers to her.
"I would never have given Miss Mary my son if I thought otherwise Vonsha, and we gotta act normal as possible-"
"Why?! Fuck dat! We know she trapped off up in here wit us! I say we grab dat hoe and FUCK dat hoe up and her mama too-"
"Wait Vonsha! Just lemme think!" I hiss.
"Calm down, calm down, ya'll come on! I said I got it. Just lemme handle it," Vaughn tells us.
"But I need for ya'll to get that journal, get that fuckin' journal while I try to figure out if it's Boonie too," Vaughn whispers. I smack my lips.
"Boonie fuckin' her for Delontae, ain't no love, he just gives her some dick twice a week and buys her shit. Tae set that shit up to keep her happy," I whisper.. and I bet my husband BEEN knew that bitch was in love with him it suddenly dawns on me. And he never thought she would snitch. Oh God, oh shit. Oh God.
"Nikki Neal. I think I've got her. I came up wit sum'm. So Vonsha? I need you to play that bitch just right, I need for you to G up baby. I need you, we all need you today," Vaughn whispers.. Vonsha stares back at him and nods.
"Okay, I got it," she whispers.
"I've got to meet with Director Arlington in about an hour, and Tae should be out on bond, if we can flip Monique? Even better," he adds.. and me and Vonsha look at each other. I try to take deep breaths.
"They got Tarvin and Droop. On a half a kilo. Droop is-- well we ain't gotta worry about that. But Tarvin might have to plea to about two years. I know he's not gone snitch or roll on Delontae, we already talked. But Bo Junior's baby mama Mirage done snitched on Kinte," Vaughn tells us and I gasp. That bitch!
"Much as Kinte saved her ass?!" I hiss. Helllllll naw!
"Yeah. She flipped, and Kinte has got extortion and terroristic threat charges on him, on top of Casso's murder," Vaughn tells me shaking his head, and I almost pass out on the floor.
"Armani held it down, but Mirage has got it where Bo Junior's murder is hanging over Kinte's head. Bo's daddy has Rico statute charges on him too -- but Kinte is my biggest problem next to Delontae, if we can't flip Monique. At least find out what she told them," Vaughn adds and Vonsha just grabs her stomach and turns her back to us and grabs the sink.
"What?" Vaughn asks her and I can see his anger rise up. Oh Lord. Oh Lord--
"So they picked up Bo daddy too?" I think to ask, trying to change the subject and help Vonsha out, and Vaughn nods. Shit! Somebody knocks on the bedroom door and we all spin around -- Vaughn puts up his hands at us like stay calm.
"Yeah," Vaughn opens the door for Monique. He lets her in and shuts the door back. And I wanna shoot this bitch, help me God, Help me.
"Danielle alright?" Monique asks us. And this is the strongest, I have ever had to be... in all of my days, and all my fucking life.
"She sleep, but I need you to stay with her, go up there and just watch her for me Monique, just in case she wakes up," I think on my feet and tell her.
"I was 'bout to go get a bunch of stuff from the store for my mama and the kids. Ain't no cereal," she tells me, all innocent and dumb as usual.
"Well I'll just send Miss Nadine for that stuff, I'll tell Ruff to take her, I need you to watch Danielle while we go see about Delontae and Tarvin and Kinte. I'm scared she might do something crazy," I tell Monique, with my heart thumpin' so hard it's crazy! She nods and Muffin walks up behind her. I take a deep breath.
"It's gone be okay Muff, Vaughn just said he thinks he can get 'em out," I tell Muff, so glad she gave me somebody else to look at instead of Monique.
"Where Joont?" I as Muffin about her son.
"With Tay Tay and the rest of 'em. Mama and Tee done got back over here," she tells me back. Sad as fuck. I nod.
"Well- Come on ya'll, we gotta make these children think everything is fine," I say with my insides hollowed out-- I see black spots -- trying to walk and play it cool. I grab onto Vonsha's hand and squeeze it with all my might.
"Hurry up Monique I don't want Danielle to wake up and do nothin' stupid," I tell her again, and she nods and goes up the stairs.
I eye Muffin and she follows us down...
"That bitch was fenna go meet wit them Feds, talkin' about some fuckin' cereal, I'll kill dat hoe!" Vonsha hisses to me. I nod..
"She was probably about to dip, hurry up and get me that journal," Vaughn whispers in my ear and my whole entire body burns with anger and hurt and betrayal. I nod, picturing Monique in my husband's shirt.
MONIQUE'S POV
Go do this, go do that. I say to myself. But I'm going..
I've spent my whole life.. doing whatever for this family and they hardly even notice me. Big as I am, I'm practically invisible. Livin' off Aisha's scraps..
I answer my phone for Agent Larson, my Calvin, looking around Tae and Isha's room.
"Hey Calvin," I say, so happy to hear his voice.
"Hey Monique. We're here, where are you?"
"I can't come right now, they got me watching Danielle after ya'll killed Droopy. Why Droopy had to die?" I ask, feeling kinda sad. I liked Droopy.
"That wasn't us, and I am so sorry, but listen Monique. Are you safe?"
"Yeah. Don't nobody pay me no attention, I told you. I'm good, I'm invisible to these people around here," I tell him..
"Well I'm paying you some attention, and I don't want anything to happen to you baby," he tells me. I smile. Elated.
"I know. I love you Calvin," I tell him.
"I love you too Monique. Did you get any new information?"
"I gave you the bloody towel I kept when Tae killed Lot, what else you need?" I ask him.
"Baby I need whatever you can get me, so me and you can be together and make sure this shit sticks," he tells me. I nod.
"I'll find some more stuff. I promise," I tell my soon-to-be-husband. He loves me...
I stare at Danielle.. I'll watch her for a lil' while. And then I'm leaving with my Calvin..
KINTE'S POV
"We've been at this for hours, stop playing," this agent tells me. I calmly sip this coffee.
"I never play," I tell him back.
"Look. Ten kilos. You killed James Barnett aka Casso, over these ten kilos, sitting right here. You're already a convicted felon, so fuck it if you don't wanna say anything, fuck playing with you!" this other agent points at the bricks, lined up on the table. I'm fucked.
"Give us who killed Young Bo," the other one says. I just stare straight ahead..
"Life? Or total immunity, if you just give us your brother. You pick. Just tell us what happened to Young Bo," this agent tries again... ...
"We've been going over and over this. It's over. Your whole crew is going down. If you give us your brother-"
"My brother don't sell no drugs," I say again. And these mothafuckas get mad as fuck. I smile.
"I'm done with this piece of shit dog food, drug selling convict, throw his ass back," this police ass nigga has the nerve to say about me.
"You can throw me back. But that total immunity though. I'll take it. But not for me. For my brother. And set it up like I plead to the brick you got Tarvin on? And I'll sit in prison for a year. Let my brother and Tarvin out. And I'll give you who killed Young Bo," I say.. and these detectives eyes buck. Ready.
"I can tell you who did it, exactly how it went down, but you gotta make it look like I copped a plea for that brick," I say.
"You got it, you got it," they all tell me.
"It was Vaughn. Attorney Terrance Hunter," I say. And these mothafuckas look like they about to shit on theyself. I laugh.
"Are you fucking kiddin' me right now?"
"I told you. I don't play," I tell 'em again.
"Are you sure?"
"Positive. He's a Vice Lord. But you already knew that much," I say back.
"Gotdamn. No wonder you agreed to talk to us without a fucking lawyer, are you serious?! You can give us Terrance Hunter?"
I nod.
Yeah. Bye Vaughn. I'm taking my woman back. Mothafucka.