Terrance called on the way to Chloe's house and told him how my day was going so far. He was a little disappointed in missing lunch but understood my love for Chloe. He agreed to meet us there and help take in her groceries. So I wasn't surprised to pull up and see his SS Monte Carlo outside and him lounging in the front seat as if he didn't have a care in the world.
We got out and opened the trunk, and he whistled low as he saw all the food. "Did you max out your credit card on groceries?"
Chloe laughed and gave him a brotherly hug before replying, "She paid cash."
"She definitely tried to break my pockets," I said, grabbing a few bags. They joined in and we started to make our way to the second floor of her building. Chloe fumbled with the keys at the door, her hands shaky and unsure.
"Is your mom home?" I asked as I took her keys and proceeded to open the door.
I walked in before she could answer and got the information I needed. Her mother was stretched out on the couch. She was naked except for panties and a bra. Her wig was twisted and falling off and lay at an odd angle. It was just after noon and two empty bottles of New Amsterdam lay at her feet. The table covered in a powdery substance that's I didn't have to guess about.
Sometimes I felt terrible about the line of business I was in. Most times, it had to do with the death of foot soldiers. Seldom did I think of the families that were being destroyed by the product. Whenever I saw Chloe, she reminded me. It was times like this one that I felt like a monster.
Terrance cleared his throat and moved into the apartment as if he didn't see a thing. I turned to Chloe and saw that she looked embarrassed. This wasn't the first time I had been to her place. Once she had called me because she thought her mother had overdosed. It had been a false alarm, but I had noticed how neat her home was. The only eyesore was her mother.
"Chloe, are you okay?"
She blinked back her tears and nodded her head. "I just wish that I could walk in here and see something different."
"I can make sure no one serves her," I said, the guilt hitting hard.
"Believe it or not, it's better this way."
Chloe walked away and I wonder what the hell that meant. Is her mother worse sober? Did she hurt her? I watched the woman slumped on the couch a second more before turning away as well.
****
After leaving Chloe's apartment, I couldn't help feeling a little somber. Chloe was one of many. Even getting out of the game and going legit wouldn't change that.
"So, where are you headed now?" Terrance asked, walking up to my car with me.
"Going to see a dear old friend," I replied as I sat behind the stirring wheel.
"Mind if I tag along?" He asked.
My first response was no, but the hopeful look on his face made me reconsider. He looked adorable, with his lower lip poked out. Smiling, I started the engine and unlocked his door.
"You gotta stop leaving your car anywhere," I told him as I headed downtown.
He frowned and pulled out his phone. "A, the last thing I'm worried about is that car. People know who it belongs to."
That much was true. Terrance was a beast when he was mad. He always remained calm no matter what, but I had seen him beat the breaks off someone and then get back to whatever he had been doing before. He was deadly as well and as he showed on our second encounter, he killed like it was nothing.
"If you say so," I told him.
"So, where are we going?"
"Downtown."
"Downtown, where?"
I smiled and told him, "brick city."
I rolled my eyes as he put his phone away. "You mean the projects?"
"That's usually what we mean when we say brick city. You have in the Lou long enough to know that."
"Yeah," he drawled, as if speaking to an ignorant child, "but why are we going there?"
"I told you, T, to see an old friend, also my connect and Godfather."
From the corner of my eye, I saw him sit up straighter and turn towards me. "I get to meet the connect?"
"Hell no"," I replied. "As much as I love you, T you will probably never meet him."
So I was a little protective of Big D. I had promised to bring no bullshit to his door, and I meant that. For me, that meant no new friends for him. The only people who had met him were Christian, Montel, and Leo. No one else, no matter how close, would get that pleasure.
"Still don't trust me enough?" He asked.
"I trust you plenty. I sleep under a roof with you." I told him, "but this is how I do business."
I trust you too, A, but where the fuck are we going?"
We were getting deeper into the projects and the first lines of defense were posted. I glanced at Terrance and noticed him pulling out a forty-five caliber. He kept it low and was at full attention.
"T calm down and put that damn gun away before you get us killed. They're on the rooftops too."
He looked up, for the first time noticing the men on the roofs. The deeper we got, the more security was present. It had been ramped up, no doubt, due to the shooting.
"Who is your Godfather? John Gotti?"
I laughed as I pulled into a parking space between two large hummers. That was new as well. Six men stood before his door, all armed to the tee with AR15s ′s or AK47′S. They looked lethal, and I knew Terrance was probably freaking out. I knew they wouldn't hurt me, but poor Terrance was sweating bullets.
"T listen to me very carefully," I whispered.
He turned towards me. The fear in his eyes was hilarious. I decided to mess with him.
"My Godfather is a very dangerous guy. Everyone is on high alert right now and it may not have been the best time to bring you, but you're here now. You have to do everything I say."
He nodded at me while staring at Jerry, the biggest guard in front of the door. He was also a big gummy bear with a wife and two daughters.
"First you have to chill with the gun, if they see it they gone shoot. Next, you just have to sit here and look pretty. Don't look into their eyes. Also, no fast movement. It could be seen as a threat. Last, don't pick up your phone. They might think you're calling for help."
He looked sick as I was talking and I think he peed himself when Jerry came and opened my door for me. Laughing, I stepped out, and Jerry closed the door.
"What's wrong with him?" Jerry asked, looking at Terrance.
"First time coming to the jets," I told him as I kissed his cheek. Jerry was my favorite guard. He was big and bald and slightly resembled Shaft, but he was cool as hell and had been with D forever.
"He looks like he needs to take a shit," Jerry said.
"Probably," I admitted. "I kind of told him you guys were on sight killers. Big D in?"
"Yeah, I already let him know you were coming."
"How is he?" I asked him the same thing I asked each time I saw him, and he always said the same thing. Except for this time. He frowned and shook his head.
"Go on up. I'll watch your friend."