Honor Thy Thug Read online

  “Baby, let me take her out.” I whispered in his ear to be sure that he heard me. But he didn’t respond. “Faheem, I’m serious. Let me dead that bitch.”

  “Jaz, this whole situation has got you trippin’. Why are you even talking like this? Look, stop it. Stop the shit right now. And I don’t want you bringing it up again. Got the nerve to be asking me if you can kill somebody and in the same tone that you would ask me to take you shopping. What the fuck is the matter with you? Go tell them to get the doctor so I can get you the fuck outta here. You talkin’ about me? I think this room is fuckin’ with your head. Go! Get out of here!”

  “Faheem, I already told them. And I’m serious. I can do it. She needs to be dealt with, and you can’t do it.”

  “What?” He looked at me as if he was insulted. “You forgot who I am?”

  “I didn’t mean it like that.”

  “I can’t fuckin’ tell.”

  “Faheem, you know I would never forget who you are. It’s just that I’m not having this bitch breathing or being able to bring anymore bullshit to my door. Don’t you know I’ll ride for you and die for you? I’ll even kill for you?” I looked at him intensely. And what does he do? The nigga laughs.

  “Jaz, just because I’ve been awarded husband and daddy of the year, don’t get it twisted. I have been inducted into the Gangsta’s Hall of Fame. All I gotta do is make a phone call, and Oni and her whole family tree can disappear. So what would it look like if you out there killing people?” Again he laughed. “Stay in your place. I got this. You talkin’ crazy, and we are not having this conversation again.”

  “You know what? Fuck you and that broad. I’ma do me! Then you can laugh at that!” I walked out and left his ass in that hospital bed. I could hear him yelling out my name, but I didn’t care. I didn’t want to admit it, but I was becoming obsessed with killing that ho. I couldn’t stop fantasizing about doing the deed, and it was both scary and exciting at the same time. I wanted to feel those same feelings he felt when he killed someone. I wanted to feel it at least once. I didn’t care what Hall of Fame he was a part of.

  TASHA

  “Call Benny, Tasha.” Trae said to me as they put him in handcuffs and read him his rights.

  “What are you charging him with?”

  “Attempted murder, ma’am.” Detective Moss answered my question.

  “Attempted murder?” I repeated out loud. I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. “Where are y’all taking him?”

  “Here you go, ma’am.” Detective Ramos, who was sweating profusely, handed me a card. “There’s all the information right there. We’ll take good care of him. And if you don’t mind me saying, this is a lovely piece of property you have here.”

  I wasn’t up for all of the niceties. I snatched the card and called Benny as they were walking Trae to the squad car. His voicemail clicked on, and I dialed the office phone to get his secretary, Jillian.

  “Law offices of Buns and Pratt, how may I direct your call?”

  “This is Tasha Macklin. Is Benny available?”

  “He’s gone for the day.”

  “What about Jillian?”

  “Please hold.”

  “Mommy, where are they taking my dad?” Shaheem asked.

  “This is Jillian.”

  “To court, baby, he’ll be right back. Hello, Jillian? This is Tasha Macklin. They just took my husband, Trae, away in handcuffs.”

  “For what?”

  “The detective said for attempted murder. I need Benny to see what’s going on. They gave me a card naming who to contact. Are you ready?”

  “Mommy, they had Daddy in handcuffs?” Kareem asked while pulling at my arm.

  “Let Mommy finish this call, baby.” I gave the info on the card to Jillian and hung up.

  I had to calm the kids down and get them focused on something else. They were acting worse than me. Attempted murder? My mind was reeling. Who in the hell did Trae attempt to kill? Did Kyron’s bitch-ass snitch? Or, knowing Trae, is this some old shit that finally caught up with him? After I got the kids straight, I was going to make some phone calls.

  “Who wants to go to the park?” My voice cracked as I called out.

  “I do! I do! Me!” they all yelled.

  “Okay, let Mommy call Uncle Kaylin first. Everybody go to the bathroom. Aisha is in charge. After you use the bathroom, get one toy and go wait for me on the front porch.” They took off running.

  Just as I was getting ready to dial Kaylin, my cell rang. I answered immediately.

  “Do I have your attention now?”

  If Kyron didn’t have my attention before, yes, he had it now. If that nigga was responsible for Trae getting locked up, then he was more bitch than I thought he was. “I know that you need to stop playing these games. I’m getting ready to call your brother right now. I don’t give a fuck if Trae goes to jail for life, I still wouldn’t fuck with you.” Furious, I ended the call and dialed Kaylin.

  “Tasha Macklin, what’s up? Angel has been in meetings all day. You can call her back in about an hour.”

  “I’m not calling to speak to Angel, I’m calling to speak to you.”

  “Oh, my bad. Is everything aiight?”

  “No, they just came and took Trae outta here in handcuffs for attempted murder.”

  “What?”

  “Yeah, and Kyron just hung up. He may be the one behind this bullshit. He’s been calling me and threatening me. I called Benny’s office already, so I’m hoping he can make this all go away. But it’s your brother, Kaylin. Tell him to leave me alone. It has gotten out of hand.”

  “Wait a minute. You said Kyron is behind Trae getting locked up?”

  “I think so but I am not sure but I won’t put it past him. He’s been trying to get with me. First he had Trina call, then he fucked up my brother, and now this. He calls after each incident. Me and my dumb ass, I’ve been hiding it from Trae because I’m scared that he’ll think I’m back fucking with him. I need your help, Kaylin. Make your brother stop this bullshit.”

  I heard Kaylin sigh. I knew he didn’t want to hear what I was telling him, but it was what it was.

  “All right, I’ll take care of it, but have Benny call me.”

  “I will.” I hung up and went to take the kids to the park. I was a nervous wreck. I told Kaylin, and I knew he was going to tell Trae, that Kyron had been calling me and starting shit. On the way to the park, I decided to stop at the grocery store to pick up a few snacks. I could have easily packed something, but I needed to get out of that house fast.

  “There goes my mommy!” Aisha yelled out. We were riding past the front entrance of the supermarket.

  “Auntie Kyra, Auntie Kyra!” Caliph squealed as he squirmed in his seat, trying to get his seatbelt off. I think my five-year-old son has a crush on Kyra.

  I looked to my right, and yes, it was Kyra, but she hadn’t told me she was going to the store. Wait a minute. How did she get there? I didn’t notice any vehicles gone other than Aunt Marva’s. What the hell is she doing? It looked like she was selling something. She was stopping people and talking to them, but everyone was keeping it moving. She had a book in her hands. Was she selling books? I pulled into a handicapped spot and threw the car into park. “Kids, stay here. Aisha is in charge. I’ll be right over there talking to Kyra. I’m not going into the store yet.” I jumped out of the car and rushed over to where she was.

  As I got closer, she opened the book and said, “Two Kings, chapter twenty, verse one says, ‘In those days Hezekiah was sick and near death, and Isaiah the prophet, the son of Amos went to him and said to him, Thus says the Lord: Set your house in order, for you shall die, and not live, then he said—’”

  “Kyra? What are you doing?”

  She looked at me, and with a straight face, and said, “Tasha, I’m just calling these sinners back to the Lord. It’s time for the people to get their house in order. You are here to listen to the word, aren’t you?”

  “But why
are you out here in front of the supermarket? How did you get here?”

  “The Lord makes all things possible! Verse two says, ‘Remember now, O Lord, to pray, how I have walked before you in truth and with a loyal heart.’”

  What the hell? She rambled the verse off like she was a bible scholar. “Kyra!” I grabbed her arm. “The kids are in the car. Come help me with them.”

  “I can’t right now. I’m doing the Lord’s work.”

  “Your daughter, Aisha, is in the car, Kyra.”

  “‘I have done what was good in your sight and Hezekiah wept bitterly.’” She continued to quote the Bible. “Come to Jesus! Come back to the Lord!” she yelled, and began following a group of strangers.

  I was at a loss for words. Could this day get any crazier?

  9

  TASHA

  “Benny, how long does it take to bond someone out? I’m coming down there!” I screamed at Benny. I had the day from hell. Kyra out preaching hellfire to strangers. Trae getting locked up and still not home. I was losing it.

  “Mrs. Macklin, coming down to do what?” Benny called himself calming me down. “You can’t rush the courts, and it’s not like it’s a simple traffic ticket. We’re talking murder and attempted murder.”

  “Benny, I am freaking out. I can’t lie to you.”

  “Mrs. Macklin, please. Don’t freak out. I’ll have him home in a few hours. I promise you. Let me do my job, all right?”

  “I need my husband home. We have a family here.”

  “I know, Mrs. Macklin. Trust me. I will bring your husband home.”

  I hung up, not feeling any better. Was I the cause of all of this bad shit happening to our family? Or were we both the cause? I was mad at him, but I didn’t want to lose him. Here it was going on 11:00 P.M. and he still wasn’t here where he belonged. Earlier, around 8:00, that’s when I was beginning to get that uneasy feeling in the pit of my stomach. Shortly after, I got a call from Benny talking some nonsense about them running his prints and them being found at the scene of a murder. It took a few minutes for his words to sink in, but when they did, I panicked. All I envisioned was him on death row somewhere and me never being held in those strong arms again. I had to go and pour myself a drink. I downed it and poured me another one. I didn’t even care what I was drinking.

  Aunt Marva came into the living room. “Why are you sitting here in the dark?” She turned on the light. “Look at you. You look a mess! Go upstairs and get you some rest. You ain’t doing yourself any good, sitting in the dark drowning your sorrows in this bottle. And it’s my bottle!” She snatched the bottle up.

  I couldn’t stop thinking, attempted murder? If Trae couldn’t wiggle out of this one, he could be taken away from me and this family for a long time. He promised me that would never happen. And at the time I believed him. “I know. I’m just anxious to find out what’s going on.” I was feeling light-headed.

  “And you will. He’ll tell you everything as soon as he walks through that front door.”

  “Where’s Kyra?” Since we’d come back from the store and the park, she was staying out of the way.

  “Everyone is in bed, where you should be.”

  “What about you, Aunt Marva? You aren’t in bed.”

  “Don’t worry about me, missy.”

  “Did I tell you about Kyra? I’m sure I didn’t, because I don’t even want to repeat it. I actually want to forget what I saw.”

  “What about her? What did you see?” she asked with her brow raised.

  “I’m worried about her. Earlier, we went to Vons, and when we pulled up, she was standing in front of the store, holding a Bible and preaching hellfire to all who would listen.”

  “What?” Aunt Marva had a puzzled look on her face.

  “I kid you not. She was yelling and following behind total strangers. I don’t even know how she got there. All of the cars were still in the driveway. It was crazy. I should have videotaped it, because you would have to see it to believe it.”

  “So what did you do?”

  “I got out of the car, made her ass get in, dragged her to the park with us, and then brought her ass home.”

  “What did she say?”

  “In the car, nothing about that. She talked to the kids the whole time, and when we got to the park, she acted as if nothing happened. I didn’t even know what to say to her.”

  “You didn’t know, or you were scared to say something?”

  “Both. I ain’t gonna lie. It was awkward.”

  “We’re gonna have to keep a close eye on her. Now, come on.” Marva clapped her hands together. “Go upstairs and get some rest. He’ll wake you up when he comes in. Go ahead, now. I’ll clean up this mess.”

  “Okay, okay. I’m going.” I got up and went upstairs. I stopped and checked on the children, who were knocked out. I went into my bedroom, and the last thing I remember was lying across my bed.

  TRAE

  Benny dropped me off around two thirty. I didn’t have my key, so I had to go around the back where Marva kept a spare to the back door under the base of the patio table. After I got into the house, I cut the alarm off and looked around the living room, expecting to hear some sort of movement. But the house was dead silent. I hit the stairs to look in on the kids, who were sprawled out and snoring. When I stepped out of their bedroom, I bumped into Kyra.

  “I thought I heard you come in. Are you all right? Did I hear correctly? You got locked up?” she asked me.

  “I had some old shit that they pulled up. Nothing that a little money can’t make go away. Go back to bed, and we’ll talk in the morning.”

  “I need to ask you something.”

  Oh, shit, here it comes. I was not in the right state of mind to have the what-happened-to-Marvin speech. “What’s up?”

  “Rick, have you spoken to him, at all? What is he saying?”

  I breathed a sigh of relief. I thought for sure Marvin’s name was going to slip out of her mouth. It seemed as if she had blocked him out of her mind. Hell, he was her baby’s father and her husband, and she wasn’t even asking about him. Didn’t she want to see him? Know where he was? That had me baffled.

  “No, he hasn’t called me. Why? You haven’t heard from him?”

  She shook her head no and then lowered her voice. “What do you think is going through his mind? And don’t bullshit me, Trae. You are a man. You have been in this situation. What is he thinking?”

  I thought about it for a minute. “Kyra, I don’t think it’s the same things that are going through yours. Here this man was in love with you, and then thought he lost you forever. So he moves on. He gets a new love and has a family. But when his love shows back up and figures that she can start right back where things left off, I’m sure that has the man in turmoil. Shit, if that happened to me, I know my head would be fucked up. Think about Romeo and Juliet. What if Romeo didn’t drink the poison and left town and moved on? Only to find out years later that Juliet was not dead, she had only drunk a drug to put her in a coma for two days? And she finds him, but he is now married with children, the whole nine. You feel me?”

  Kyra laughed. “Romeo and Juliet, huh? Now that you put it like that, yes. But I’ve been calling him, and he doesn’t even bother to answer.”

  “Give him some time. He’ll come around,” I assured her.

  “I hope so. But at the same time, I’m a little worried. I’m worried that he won’t choose me, and it’s driving me crazy!”

  “Kyra, you know he’ll come around. Let him work it out.”

  “God, I hope you’re right. And thanks for listening.”

  “No doubt.” I left Kyra standing there. I needed to get my ass into a hot, steamy shower and scrub the day off of me. Then I needed to ease some tension. The whole time I was in custody, I wondered if my luck was finally running out. Everything seemed to be closing in on me all at once. I was ready for anything. But doing time? I didn’t forsee that. I had to figure out how to get out of this one.

/>   When I went into my bedroom, Tasha was lying across the bed in all of her clothes. Obviously, she’d tried to wait up for me but couldn’t.

  “Baby.” I shook her. Her eyes popped open, looking all wild and shit. “It’s me. Are you all right?” I couldn’t help but smile. She was even beautiful when I scared her out of her sleep.

  “I’m sorry, baby, I tried to wait up for you,” she said, sitting up.

  “Come get in the shower with me.” I grabbed her hand.

  “How long have you been home? What happened? What did they say?” She got off the bed and gave me a hug. “I was freakin’ out, Trae. Murder? Are you going to beat this? A murder charge?”

  “Murder and attempted murder.”

  “Who did you murder?” she asked, rubbing her eyes.

  “Nobody, baby. My prints were at a scene, but I didn’t do shit, and they can’t prove it. Benny said it won’t even get to court.”

  “Who did you attempt to murder? Kyron? Or is this something old? Is it two different murder charges? The other murder, who is it?”

  “Ma, stop with the questions.” She obviously had been wracking her brain trying to figure this all out. “Come on, let’s get in the shower. Aren’t you ready to wash your husband up? I’m hot, sticky, and smelly. We will talk about this madness later.” I kissed her forehead and let her go.

  We went into the bathroom, and I turned on the water. A calm came over me. The shower was one of our favorite spots. My wife undressed me, and then I took my time and undressed her. She began to plant light kisses on my lips, my neck, and my chest. “I love you so much.” She told me. “Baby, I was so scared that you wasn’t coming back home to me.”

  I caressed her nipples and her ass. “Oh, I was coming back.”

  “I’m so glad. I needed you too. I missed you.”

  “I missed you even more. Tasha, you will always be mines. And there ain’t much that can keep me away from you.”

  “I know, baby.”

  I walked her backward to the shower. As we stepped into the hot and steamy water, we continued to hug and kiss. I loved the sight of the water glistening off of her smooth, chocolate skin. The sound of her moans mixed with the sound of the water turned me all the way up. When we finally came up for air, Tasha grabbed the sponge, lathered it up, and began to sensually soap up my body. By the time she finished, my dick was standing way past attention.