The Pink Panther Clique Page 13

  Milla was able to get out of the hole for her three hours. She called Jadakiss since he was part owner of KOMAR and asked if he would mind giving up an advance of $100,000 immediately, before KOMAR paid out its royalties, which would take another sixty days. He said he would see what he could do. Two days later, he agreed. It took him a week to make it happen, but he got it done.

  When I used the assistant warden’s computer, I got his bank wire information and we sent him $40,000, unbeknownst to him. We knew he hadn’t a clue how much money we were making, so when he made his rounds we let him know we needed to talk. He told us to meet him in his office in five minutes.

  “I’m going to have to move the equipment, ladies. Just for a little while. I’ve got Washington up my ass about this song. I can’t believe I risked so much for so little.” Nervously, he ran his hands through his hair.

  “You don’t have to move anything.”

  “Yeah, just leave all the evidence sitting around. You know, I thought you ladies were smart.”

  “We are. There’s nothing to move. The equipment is gone.”

  “Gone?” he said surprised.

  “Yes. Gone.”

  “Okay, well, good then,” he said, realizing he’d underestimated us. But he hadn’t seen anything yet.

  “There is an offer on the table for you,” Sun-Solé said to him. Neither she nor I cracked a smile.

  “We already have a deal,” he replied.

  “Yeah, but this one is different. We can pay you four right away,” I added.

  “Four thousand? That’s not bad. If you are willing to give me that every ninety days, I’ll live. And I’ll let your friend out of the hole with the first payment. How long do I have to wait?” he asked, smiling.

  “Check your account.”

  “What account?”

  “Your bank account!”

  “Why would I do that?” he asked suspiciously.

  “Just do it.” He logged onto the computer and typed in a few keys. Sun-Solé and I both saw his eyes light up.

  “What in the . . .”

  “Fuck?” I said, finishing his sentence.

  “Forty thousand dollars?”

  Sun-Solé and I had to do all we could to hold back our laughter. This dude had a hard-on for forty moneybags. My girls and I could wipe our asses with forty before this prison bid happened. But we wanted to make him feel good.

  “Yes. Now let Milla out of the hole. Today.”

  “Done!”

  We got up to leave, and his bottom lip was still dangling on the floor. Pink Panther Clique is in the building!

  “Girl, did you see the look on his face?” I said to Sun-Solé as we slapped five on our way back to the unit.

  “I can’t believe we pulled it off. We did it. Made a hit from prison, and we’re getting paid. If only I could get home sooner.” Then it hit me.

  “You can, Sun-Solé. I forgot to tell you. There is a case manager right now taking bribes to give out halfway house time. I bet you if we come correct, we can get you twelve months. Then you’ll be out of here six months earlier than you expected.”

  “Who’s taking bribes? How did you find out?”

  “Just trust me on this, sis. I know someone who knows someone.”

  “Okay. Well, I’m down. We can pay whatever the fee is. But for right now, let’s just go wait for Milla to get out of the hole. I don’t care if we didn’t make a penny. This would have all been worth it to save Milla from that charge,” I said.

  “Most definitely, sis.” We were in a good mood. Things were going in our favor. Then suddenly, the smiles were wiped off our faces. The chaplain walked onto the unit, and it got dead quiet. The female chaplain’s presence was something like the Grim Reaper. It meant that someone close to one of us on our unit had died.

  Please don’t let it be me.

  Chapter 28

  Milla

  * * *

  It felt so good to walk back on the unit. To be out of the hole. Me and my girls . . . We made it happen. They were waiting for me, and when the door popped, everyone started clapping and cheering! We did it. Even though the odds were stacked against us, we still found a way to be successful. I hugged Eshe and Sun-Solé at the same time. Everybody starting chanting, “Pink Panther, Pink Panther, Pink Panther!” It was dope to hear them shouting for us.

  All of the ladies in our unit were able to slice off a piece of the victory pie and eat a little bit for themselves. The guards were standing around, but there was nothing they could do. Our spirits were so high, they could bury us underground, and we’d still feel like we were floating somewhere near the clouds. It felt good.

  “All right, settle down so I can give out mail!” the officer stated. Mail call could quiet a room faster than the audience at a Beyoncé concert in less than a second. We didn’t play when it came to our mail. He called my name, and I got anxious. I received a letter from King-G, and I couldn’t front. I was so happy to hear from him. He had a lot to say:

  Jamila,

  First and foremost, let me say this. I love you, and I love your drive. Your hard work is not only sexy, but it is helpful. Baby, you just do not know how much your work has kept a brother relevant. I have been fed to the wolves for conspiracy drug charges. And the case against me was so inefficient, had real evidence been required, no jury could ever convict me. But dealing with the Feds, hearsay is all they need to convict. I never realized how dangerous that is. Don’t worry, Milla, you are my inspiration to fight this. My family is always going to be associated with the game. It is simply the way I was raised. The life I was born into. I knew nothing else. But as soon as I realized there was a better way, I took a different path.

  But our system is so unforgiving to black men. Now, I’ll probably spend the rest of my life in prison. All I have is my music and you. I just want to thank you for allowing me to live through my music. This environment is not for the softness. Every day has been a true struggle. When a man is caged like an animal, fed like an animal, or even talked to like an animal, trust, it is not long before he becomes an animal. I am in a battle with myself constantly trying to defeat the beast within me, because alone, I cannot defeat the very beast that has attacked me. My burdensome predator—my own government!

  I read his letter over and over again. It touched my heart. How could he say that I was the one keeping him relevant? Not at all. He’d done that for himself. I knew this wasn’t the end for him. I was sure that something would give; some law, some new motion or provision would change his circumstances. I folded the letter, and before I could get to my bunk, my name was called again. The officer held out a long yellow envelope. Curiously, I took it from his hand. When I saw the return address, my lips immediately curled into a smile. It was my degree. I completed my course in Religious Studies and had earned my bachelor’s degree. I was now on my way to getting my master’s. Nothing, and I meant nothing, could stop me.

  Eshe and Sun-Solé interrupted my moment. “Girl, who wrote you?” Eshe asked.

  “King. And I also got my degree. See!” I said, showing them. They both were just as excited for me as I was for myself. I couldn’t wait to get on the phone and tell my parents. They were very supportive and loving. Just when I thought I couldn’t get any happier, Eshe and Sun-Solé told me just how much money we made so far.

  “Are you kidding me?”

  “No. Girl, the song almost has 600,000 downloads now. It’s crazy,” Sun-Solé said.

  “All right! Well, all of us were businesswomen, so let’s sit down and kick it about our next move,” I said. We found a table on the yard. It would have to do until we were able to sit down at a rectangular marble one on the penthouse floor of our building that we would eventually purchase.

  “So check this out. All of this money has to be reinvested. I think we should draw about $20,000 apiece to put on our books, and the rest should get put up,” Sun-Solé offered.

  “Good idea. But let’s not forget about King-G,” Eshe added.r />
  “Thank you, sis. I was just gonna take it from my cut, but–”

  “Hell, no, Milla! You trippin’! ’Cause I damn sure was gonna give Marcellus and Jerry a cut too.”

  “You’re right, because H will need a cut.” Sun-Solé’s husband was locked up too, so we all came to an agreement.

  “Okay, so let’s take about $20,000 and divide it up for our men. It’s four of them in total, so that’s five apiece. Agreed?”

  “Agreed!” we all said in unison.

  “Next order of business, I’m leaving soon. I’ll be able to get everything pushed up to another level once I hit the bricks,” Sun-Solé said. She had the least amount of time among us all. And having a member of our group able to move without restriction would definitely work wonders for us.

  “Have they started your halfway house papers?” Milla asked.

  “Speaking of that, I think I’ve got the perfect connect. There is a case manager here. Her name is Ms. Cheiders. Who is your case manager?” Eshe asked.

  “Ms. Downing, the young black lady. She’s pretty cool.”

  “Damn, well, that means that Ms. Downing is the one who will request your halfway house papers. We’ve gotta get Ms. Cheiders to do it,” Eshe said.

  “But what difference does it make?” I asked.

  “Okay, well, check this out. Y’all know white girl Becky?” Everybody nodded. “She put me on to some shit. Ms. Cheiders is taking $20,000 for guaranteed one-year halfway house. She did it for Becky, and that’s why she got so much halfway house time.”

  “What? Girl, you lying!” Sun-Solé said and screwed up her face. But I know her face twisted because she wanted to always be the one to bring the good tea. Sorry, Sun-Solé, I beat you to it this time, I thought and chuckled.

  “So how do we get this lady to hook up Sun-Solé? And how do we get around the assigned case manager issue? Cheiders would have to have a good excuse for jumping in Ms. Downing’s caseload,” I added.

  “I say we blackmail the bitch. What she’s doing is wrong, so why not force her hand by threatening to expose her?”

  “You always wanna go the gangster route with shit,” Eshe said to Sun-Solé.

  “I mean, that seems to be the only thing people respect.” Sun-Solé had a point. “Let’s talk to the girl Becky.” Eshe went inside to find Becky, and we all waited patiently for her to join us.

  Becky came outside. Eshe found her in the gym as always. She was dripping sweat. “What’s up, guys?” she said.

  “Listen, we’re just gonna get straight to it. We need the halfway house hookup that we talked about.”

  “Oh, I, umm, don’t know what you’re talking about.”

  “Relax, Becky. These are my girls; they’re cool. And we’ll even pay you for putting us on. This conversation will not leave this area. I promise,” Eshe said.

  “Yes, you have all of our word, and our word is bond,” I said, touching Becky’s hand.

  “Okay, well, first and foremost,” she said, after calming down, “you’ll need $20,000.”

  “We’re good on that. Who do we have to pay? Because I need to get out of here as soon as possible,” Sun-Solé said.

  “Well, I have to talk to Ms. Cheiders and see how she wants to proceed. It will be a little bit more complicated if you are not on her caseload. But I’m sure we can work something out. I’ll talk to her first thing tomorrow.”

  Becky lived just a few rooms down from me. So, on her way back from visiting with Ms. Cheiders she came to see me.

  “So . . .?”

  “Here’s the deal. She wants to do it. But she’s going to talk to Ms. Downing, to try to convince her to allow Sun-Solé to get on her caseload. She’s talking to her right now. They’re friends. They even car pool to work together, so she’ll have no issue, hopefully, getting her to agree. She told me to come back in an hour.”

  “Okay, if you make this happen, we’re going to put an extra $1,000 on your books for the hookup,” I said.

  “I don’t need it.”

  “That’s not the point. It’s the way my girls and I do business and show our appreciation. No big deal.”

  “Well, thank you. I appreciate it. I’ll be back after I talk to her.” We all went our separate ways.

  I waited patiently for Becky to talk to the crooked-ass case manager, and in the meantime, I walked down to Eshe’s room. She was in there with Kiera. Eshe didn’t usually hang out with anybody other than us, so if Kiera was in her room, Eshe was probably playing savior.

  “What’s up, girls?” I said as I walked in.

  “Hey, Milla! What’s up with you?” Eshe said.

  “Nothing, just chillin’. I need to talk to you.”

  “Oh, I can excuse myself,” Kiera said.

  “Just for a minute,” I said, not wanting to be rude. Once Kiera was gone, I had a chance to tell Eshe what was going on, and I explained that I was waiting to hear back from Becky.

  “Good. I hope this goes smoothly. Kiera was in here, and I’ve been talking to her. Ms. Cheiders is her case manager, and after she did over a decade, this woman won’t give her more than two months’ halfway house. That’s foul. I’m trying to help her.”

  “One thing at a time. We can’t help her right now. We gotta focus on Sun-Solé. Our girl is leaving and that takes precedence,” I said, reminding Eshe of the order of our priorities.

  “Nah, that’s not right. There has to be a way to help her. I already gave her my word I would.”

  “We can’t. Not right now. We’re doing some real shady shit to get Sun-Solé out early. We can’t ruin it by asking too much of the lady. Trust me. I know how you feel. It’s unjust. But once we get Sun-Solé’s new release date secured, we can help Kiera. You’ll just have to push it back a little.”

  “A’ight, Milla. You got a point. I’ll tell Kiera we gotta wait a few weeks.” Eshe and I dapped on it. Then I went back to my room to wait on Becky.

  A little while later, Becky walked in with a big smile on her face. “Must be good news!” I said, responding to her upbeat mood.

  “Absolutely. You’re in like Flynn. I told her you had the money and you could make it happen immediately. She said she spoke to Ms. Downing, and she was fine with it. She told her that her and Sun-Solé had a bond already, and she felt it would be easier if she handled her paperwork.”

  “Really?”

  “Yes, and she’ll have your people meet her people tomorrow at the RedBarn, the grocery store about five miles from here. She said her person would be parked in a black Malibu in front of the pharmacy. Bring the cash!” And it was done. Our sister was getting out of here earlier, and it was worth every dime.

  Chapter 29

  Sunny-SolÉ

  * * *

  “Why y’all running up in here like Obama got elected for a third term?” I asked Eshe and Milla. They were damn near out of breath.

  “Because, bitch, you getting up out of here! The drop goes down in the morning. And we’re getting you home to the crib. We got too much we need you to do,” Milla responded.

  “Stop lying! For real?”

  “For real! We were able to pull it off. Ms. Cheiders is so thirsty for money, she’d do anything. You should get your new date soon.” We were interrupted by an unexpected guest. Kiera. That’s the one thing I hated about cubicles. You couldn’t lock your door because there wasn’t one.

  “So what’s going on?” she asked.

  “Oh, hey. Whatup, Kiera?” Eshe said.

  “What’s up?” she said, but I think I sensed a slight attitude. Her neck rolled slightly when she spoke, and her eyes were squinted.

  “Everything is good. I’m gonna come and holler at you in a little bit. Let me finish up with my girls, then I’ll come down to your room,” Eshe explained.

  “No, we can talk about this right now. I’ve been waiting for you since yesterday to come back and tell me how you were gonna figure out how to help me, but you never did. Now I walk in, and I see y’all talking about g
etting your homegirl out. I thought you were doing this for me first. Isn’t that what we talked about?”

  No, she didn’t come up in here trying to check Eshe. She had one more thing to say before I went off.

  “Hold up! Let me be clear,” Eshe said. “I know you don’t think you’re comin’ up in here checkin’ me, boo. I promised you I would help, and I will. But I have to handle somethin’ first. I got you. But you need to chill out with all that.”

  “Nah, I’m just sayin’. Y’all walk around here like your shit don’t stink and doin’ all this extra shit, but for real, you just blew hot smoke up my ass. If you didn’t plan on helping me, then why not just say so? I’ve done over a decade. I can handle whatever. You a baby in the prison game, but you think you a vet.”

  Now the bitch was getting on my nerves. I stood up and approached her before Eshe could even respond.

  “Yo, get the fuck out my room, ma. You doing too much right now with all that disrespectful shit.”

  “I was leaving anyway,” she said, throwing up her hand and walking out.

  “People got a lot of shit with them for real. How she gon’ come up in here talking crazy? You’re doing her a favor.”

  “It’s all good. She’s just upset with the system. Not us. I’ll deal with her later. In the meantime, let’s make sure that the drop goes right today.” Eshe got right back to business like the bullshit never even happened. That’s what I respected about her. She didn’t give things that weren’t deserving of her attention any play.

  “I’m so anxious. I hope this goes well. Look at my hands, they’re shaking. This is major right here. Paying for halfway house. Who would have ever thought? Yo, we’ve gotta do something to kill the time,” I said.

  “Here we go with your eye-spy Molly Maid shit. Where do you wanna go now?” Milla asked. She knew me well. I had the perfect thing for us to do to entertain ourselves while we waited to make sure the drop went well.