Girls From da Hood 6

Book 2: Girls From Da Hood

by Ashley, Jaquavis, Amaleka McCall

Genres: African American Urban; African American Women's Fiction; Anthologies

Synopsis

Bestselling superstar author Ashley & JaQuavis and the talented McCall spin the sixth gritty street drama in this popular series, where fast cash, love, and tragedy drive a trio of fast-paced stories.

Release date: April 1, 2011

Publisher: Urban Books

Print pages: 448

Sample

Present Day

“God please see us through this . . . please.” The quivering plea that Raegan sent up to her maker was one of desperation. She was about to go up against the impossible and the lonely prayer was all she had left in her bag of tricks. Her voice broke from anxiety as she continued. “Watch over us and let us meet back up one day. Keep my friends safe and help us make it through this. We are all we got,” Raegan said as she stood with her head pressed against the foreheads of her best friends Chanel and Gucci. The three girls stood in a circle, arms wrapped around each other’s shoulders, heads bowed. It was now or never . . . all or nothing. Their freedom depended on this one moment. They had done a lot of dirt together and now it seemed as though karma had come full circle. Now they stood grasping one another, hearts racing, tears falling down their tired eyes as they thought about what they were about to do. The odds were stacked against them, but they had no choice but to fight despite how dismal the outcome appeared to be.

“If we don’t make it out of this . . . forgive us father for we have sinned . . . in your name we pray, amen,” Raegan finished. A hard lump filled her throat as she walked over to the living room blinds and pulled them down discreetly. Red, white, and blue lights lit up the night sky as the police barricaded the city block in an attempt to thwart their escape route. Raegan could hear the pounding inside of her head as the rhythm of her racing heart blocked out all other sound. In all her years on this earth she had never been afraid of anything, but secretly she feared the altercation to come. She didn’t want to step one foot outside of the trap house, but she knew that she and her girls had no choice. If they didn’t come out eventually the police would come in and she would rather go out under her own terms. She was going to determine how this thing played out and she knew as long as they made the first move they would have the advantage. “We’re like sitting ducks in this bitch.” Chanel whispered anxiously as she came up over Raegan’s shoulder and peeked at the scene outside.

“Then let’s stop sitting,” Raegan said in a low determined tone. She cocked the pump of the sawed-off double-barrel shotgun she carried with one hand and said, “Fuck it, I’ll see you bitches in the Islands.”

Chanel racked the automatic AK she carried while Gucci chambered the first round in her semi-automatic 9mm as they burst out of the front door. The three of them rushed out onto the lawn, adrenaline pumping, fear pulsing through their bodies as they shot it out with the Flint Police Department. Desperation caused them to fire their weapons endlessly and their marksman aim was enough to give the officers outside the shootout of the century.

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

Raegan was so swift with the shotgun that you would have never thought she had to reload her weapon. There was nothing hesitant about her trigger finger. As she came out blazing, bullets flew past her head as she inched as quickly as possible to her car.

The melody of the police sirens harmonized with the gunshots as the girls popped off, serenading the streets.

The three girls exchanged fire with the entire police force and held their own as they each tried to escape to their prospective cars. They had been together their entire lives but the time had come for them to separate. It was time to fly solo. Although their chances of escape were slim to none they knew that by splitting up they increased their chances of eluding capture and avoiding the sticky situation. The cops couldn’t focus on all three of them at once, so they each took their own risk as they cleared a path for themselves, popping off recklessly. They were too hot and they needed to split up before making their way to the Virgin Islands.

“Aghhh,” Raegan shouted mercilessly as she fired over and over again. Hitting an officer was not her objective . . . she only meant to incite fear. She was skilled enough with her aim to come dangerously close to homicide without actually committing it. Killing a cop was the last thing she needed to add to her hood resume so she was cognizant of exactly where her bullets struck. Her hair whipped wildly around her face as she turned quickly to check on the status of her girls. Her mouth fell open in horror as she noticed an officer sneaking up behind Gucci. It was as if the entire scene was playing out in slow motion before her.

“Nooo! Guch!” she shouted. Gucci turned her head towards Raegan’s voice and her eyes opened in horror when she saw Raegan pull a handgun from her back waistline. With precision, Raegan let off a shot that laid the officer out—dropping him where he stood before he could ever pull his trigger. In the blink of an eye things had gone from bad to worse. As a matter of fact things were already at worse . . . now they were just out of fucking control. The consequences of her actions were now irreparable and tears of regret immediately surfaced in her horrified eyes.

“Oh shit!” Gucci yelled as she realized how close she had come to death. Raegan’s hand shook as she looked at the smoking gun in her hand. In a split second the situation had escalated, but before she could even process what had happened a blinding pain shot through her as her body jerked forward. Her mouth fell open in agony, but no sound came out. Her eyes watered as she looked Gucci in the eyes desperately begging for help without uttering a word. Her hand fell over her right shoulder as she realized she had been shot. It seemed as if the entire police force had her in their crosshairs. By killing one of their own, Raegan had become public enemy number one. She crouched down to shield herself from the bullets that were flying her way. Enraged Gucci blazed off, aiming at the officers behind Raegan. Regan was frantic and in shock as she pulled a bloody hand away from her body. She grimaced in excruciating pain. With one of their own laid out in the dirt, the officers became even more relentless in their pursuit.

“Raegan go!” Gucci yelled as she continued to fire cover shots. The automatic machine gun that Gucci spewed was enough to give Raegan time to run. Raegan snapped out of her daze and scrambled to fire her gun with her left hand. Her entire right side was on fire which hindered her shot. With her left arm, Raegan shot wildly and ran for dear life until she finally reached her car. Gunshots shattered her rear window and bullets riddled the body of her car as she pulled off, her tires burning rubber as her foot pushed the gas pedal to the floor. Her car tipped to the side until she finally gained control of the vehicle’s speed as she sped away. As her eyes darted wildly in her rearview she saw that Chanel was long gone and that Gucci was still going gun to gun with the cops. Everything in her wanted to turn around and help her friend, but knew that she couldn’t. Gucci will make it out . . . she has to, Raegan thought. She was bleeding profusely onto the leather seats and she knew that she needed help, but there was nothing she could do but keep driving. The sirens behind her indicated that the cops were following her. The logical thing to do would be to give up . . . to pull over the car and surrender, but there was no way she was going to prison. Nothing in her would allow her to surrender. She would make those crackers chase her from one coast to the other before she gave up. I’ve got to shake these squad cars, she thought as she pressed the Acura to the max while bobbing and weaving through traffic. The traffic light in front of her turned yellow signaling for her to slow down, but instead she sped up, flying through the intersection and causing the cars that had the right of way to hit their breaks fiercely. When the officers following her tried to follow suit they were hit with a sudden surprise as a semi-truck smashed into the side of their vehicle.

SCREECH!

The sound of tires wailing as cars tried to avoid the pile up accident was all that Raegan heard as she kept it moving. “I have to get out of this car,” she whispered frantically as she bent a sharp right. She drove the Acura for ten more miles before she finally ditched the car on a suburban street. Grabbing a jacket out of the backseat she tried to hide her injured shoulder as best she could, but the blood quickly seeped through the fabric. There was nothing inconspicuous about her appearance. She was hot and she needed to get the hell out of dodge. She grabbed her empty gun and hid it inside the jacket as she weakly walked. She was trying to put as much distance behind her as she possibly could, but she wouldn’t get far on her feet. She was losing too much blood. She needed a car. Her blood speckled the pavement as she trudged along begrudgingly. As her head began to spin she stumbled slightly, beginning to feel faint. Grateful for the night’s shadow, she sat down on the street curb to reserve her strength as she tried to piece together a plan in her head. I have to stop this wound from bleeding, she thought as she held onto her arm, applying pressure and grimacing at the same time. As she came to a corner house she noticed a man leaving his home. Black baggy jeans, a black jacket, and matching fitted he secured his front door never noticing Raegan as she approached. She pulled her chrome .45 from her waistline, knowing that it contained no bullets. He doesn’t know that, she thought, deciding to use the empty pistol as leverage. She walked directly up on him and put her gun to the back of his head.

“If you move I will pull this trigger you understand?” she asked, her voice unwavering.

Surprised that the voice behind him came from a woman he nodded in shock.

“Open the door and go back inside,” she instructed as she looked around anxiously.

The man did as he was told, not wanting to buck because he had too much to lose. He had no idea how he had been caught slipping—by a bitch no less. She could feel his shoulders tense as she pushed him forward into the house. She was straight pump faking, holding up the guy with an empty gun. As long as she kept control this would play out in her favor.

“Put your hands up,” she said.

The guy gripped the duffel bag that he held in his hand and spoke calmly. “You don’t have to do it like this,” he said.

“Shut up and open the door,” Raegan ordered.

The guy turned his key in the lock and opened up his front door as Raegan guided him inside.

“Sit down,” she stated harshly as she kept her gun trained on him.

The guy knew that he didn’t have much to lose. He didn’t know Raegan but he knew her type. If she had enough balls to run up on him then she had enough balls to kill him. Deciding to go for broke he spun around unexpectedly and grabbed her arm forcefully as he slammed her into the wall.

“Aghh,” she yelled as she fought ferociously with him for control of the gun. With her injured arm it didn’t take much effort for him to overpower her. Snatching the gun from her hand he pushed her away from him. Without hesitation he aimed at her head and pulled the trigger.

CLICK!

Heaving from the altercation, he looked at the girl in exasperation. “Fuck is you doing? You robbing niggas with empty guns?” he asked in disbelief as he tossed the .45 onto the ground. Enraged he cleared the space between them and hemmed her up. He wrapped his hands tightly around her neck, choking her out as he lifted her off of the ground. “Who sent you?!” he yelled through clenched teeth, his temple throbbing in rage.

“Who sent you?!” he shouted. He demanded answers, but the tight hold he had on her neck prevented her from answering. She clawed at his hands as her eyes burned in desperation. She scratched and clawed violently, reaching for his face as her nails dug into his skin. She was fighting him with all of her might, but her blows and protests were in vain. He was literally squeezing the life out of her.

“Please . . . ” she gasped as her face turned red and the room began to close in around her.

Her eyes pleaded with him as he scanned her, reading her, observing her. He saw that she was soaked in blood and shaking in fear. She could feel the life leaving her body as he choked her ruthlessly. Reluctantly, he loosened his grip on her.

COUGH! COUGH!

Raegan choked as she gulped in air, bending over as she welcomed the oxygen into her burning lungs. Her legs gave out under her as she slouched onto the floor.

The guy looked down at Raegan silently wondering what events had brought her to his home that night. As Raegan struggled on the floor the guy looked at her curiously. Anger turned to sympathy when he noticed that she was in tremendous pain.

“Why are you here?” he asked, his voice skeptical and stern.

Raegan looked up at him grimacing as her shoulder continued to bleed profusely. She didn’t have a choice but to answer him. She had invaded his home . . . if he shot her dead it would be justified.

“I need help,” she whispered.

“You’ve got a funny way of seeking help ma,” the guy replied sarcastically. A part of him wanted to slap the taste from her mouth for running upon him toting a gun, but the desperate look in her eyes told him that she was between a rock and a hard place. He didn’t know the circumstances that had placed her in his presence, but for some reason he didn’t feel right just putting her out and leaving her on stuck.

“I’m sorry,” she replied with tear filled eyes. “I wasn’t going to shoot you.” I just needed to clean up and I needed a car. Nobody sent me. I’m hurt and I couldn’t make it much further on foot.”

Her voice was shaking and the fear he noticed in her was enough for the guy to let down his guard. He reached his hand out to help her up from the floor.

Wide eyed, she stared at his hand unsurely.

“You gon’ stay down there all night or what?” he asked. “You bleeding all over my Brazilian hardwoods ma. Get up.”

Raegan grabbed his hand with reluctance as her fear was replaced by her embarrassment.

“Look, I’m sorry. I just need to get out of here,” she said in a panic as she turned for the door.

“I don’t know why you’re running, but you won’t get very far with that arm,” he commented. “It looks like you need a doctor.”

“No!” Raegan shouted in protest. “No doctors! No hospitals and no fucking doctors.” She held her injury tenderly as the thought of being apprehended overwhelmed her. There was no way she could walk into a hospital without being arrested. The police knew that she had been hit and would surely have units posted at all the local hospitals, anticipating her arrival.

“Okay, okay,” the guy replied. “At least clean yourself up. There’s gauze and peroxide underneath the bathroom sink.”

Raegan nodded her head and answered. “Where is it?”

“It’s upstairs . . . first door on your left,” he replied.

Raegan hesitantly walked towards the bathroom. She was sure that he would call the police on her as soon as she disappeared from sight, but she planned on being long gone before they ever got there. I just need to get myself together first, she thought as she entered the bathroom, frantic. She grabbed a towel from the countertop and turned on the faucet. Her bloodstained hands painted the sink as the water flowed onto her palms. She removed her shirt and the sight of the gaping hole in her shoulder made her gasp in shock. A knock at the door caused her to jump in fear. Holding her breath, she stared into the mirror’s reflection, eyeing the door behind her. She just knew that the police were standing on the other side of it. Her nerves were quickly eased when the guy peeped his head inside. He immediately noticed the terror in her eyes and said, “It’s just me.” He stepped inside and reached beneath the sink and removed a first aid kit. “Let me see your shoulder.”

Raegan turned towards the guy and winced as he began to clean her wound.

“Who shot you?” he asked as he did his best to clean the crusted blood from the gaping hole in her shoulder.

“The police,” she answered.

He hesitated and looked her in the eyes, his gaze revealing his disbelief. “You’re running from the police?” he asked.

“My girls and I . . . we got into some trouble,” she replied, not giving him too much information. “We never had anything, no one ever gave us anything. It was always a struggle . . . from day to day. We got tired of struggling . . . tired of being the have-nots.”

The guy taped her shoulder and handed her a bottle of aspirin.

“What’s your name?” he asked as he applied pressure to her arm.

“Oww . . . Jesus! Can you press any harder!” she shouted in annoyance as extreme pain took over her entire body. Her skin was pale and sweat shone on her brow as she cringed.

“Look, pressure is the only thing that’s going to stop this bleeding. You’ve got a bullet in your arm. You can let me do this or you can take your pretty ass to the hospital or you can run out of here and leave a trail of blood behind you. Choose one.” he said authoritatively, speaking to her as if she were an unruly child.

She sighed knowing that she didn’t have many options. “Fine, but be easy . . . it feels like I’m being shot all over again,” she complained. She turned her head and closed her eyes in impatience as she anticipated the agony to come. “Who are you anyway?” she asked rudely as if he had invaded her home.

“Brelin Nolen,” he answered shortly.

“Raegan,” she replied. “Sonny Raegan.”

“I would say it’s nice to meet you, but considering—”

“Ha ha,” she said as she looked him in the eye sarcastically. For the first time she inventoried the man in front of her. His dark as night skin and beautifully white teeth were so attractive to her. His clean-shaven face was sculpted perfectly with the exception of a tiny scar that rested above his left eyebrow. Handsome was an understatement. He had a grown man appeal that gave her butterflies; and the stern, disapproving look that he gave her made her feel as if he was one of the few men in the world who could put her in her place.

“I’m no doctor but I did the best I could,” he said. “There’s a clean shirt in the master closet.” He nodded towards the door and began to exit the room.

“Why are you helping me?” Raegan asked.

“I haven’t figured that out yet,” he replied as he walked out.

Raegan quickly dressed and returned to the living room where Brelin waited patiently. “What’s next?” he asked.

“I have to get out of this city,” she stated surely.

“Can I give you a ride somewhere?” he asked.

She thought about saying yes, but quickly dismissed the notion. She couldn’t afford any slip-ups. Brelin was just one more person who could get her caught. I’ve already been in his presence for too long, she thought as she shook her head. “No thank you. I’ll be fine.”

Brelin stood to his feet and walked close to her. She could tell from the look on his face that he didn’t believe her. “Well look, I’ma hit you with some paper. It’ll be enough to call you a cab and get yourself a room for the night.” He peeled off ten hundred dollars bills from the stack he retrieved from his pocket and placed them in her palm.

“I can’t . . . you don’t even know me,” she said.

“You can stick a nigga up, but can’t take a genuine offer,” he asked with a chuckle.

She smiled back and closed her hand around the money. “Thank you. I swear one day I’ll pay you back.”

He nodded his head to make her feel better but they both knew that they wouldn’t cross paths anytime in the near future. Brelin could tell that Raegan prided herself on her independence so he didn’t rob her of her dignity by refusing her. As he stared at her almond colored face he wondered what had brought her to this point. Her beauty hid her cruel intentions, which made her a deadly threat. He knew that she had broken many hearts in her day.

“Can I use your phone?” she asked.

He grabbed his cell phone and tossed it to her, then listened as she called a cab company. As she hung up the phone she gave him a weak smile.

“I’ll wait outside for my ride. You don’t want to be mixed up in the mess I’ve gotten myself into,” Raegan stated sincerely with regret in her voice as she tossed his phone back to him.

As Brelin watched her walked out of the door he couldn’t help but wonder where she had come from. The old saying that looks could be deceiving was absolute—Raegan was the epitome of that. He felt guilty as if he owed her more than what he had given her and his conscience weighed heavily upon him. Everything in him told him that he was playing with fire, but he ignored his instincts and ran out of the door after her. He stopped dead in his tracks and his heart sank when he looked at his empty driveway. Fuck, he thought as he looked at the vacant space that his Benz used to occupy. He pulled out his phone and started to dial 911, but stopped when he saw the message that Raegan had left in an open text.

Taken aback by Raegan, Brelin had to smile. He shook his head because there wasn’t a nigga walking on two legs that could pull one over on him, but within a matter of minutes a beautiful woman had walked into his life and suckered him out of his whip. He had never encountered a woman so slick. He was definitely intrigued. As he walked back into his home, he dialed his insurance company as he shook his head in disbelief. That bitch is crazy as hell, he thought as he chuckled to himself while shaking his head. I hope she gets away.

Raegan tried to drive the speed limit as she made her way out of town, but her nerves caused her foot to be heavy on the gas. As she passed a highway sign she noticed that she was 150 miles from the Ohio Turnpike. Once she was a couple states over she would be able to relax. With her fake passport gripped tightly in her hand, she breathed deeply. All she had to do was make it to Florida. There was a boat waiting there to take her and her girls to paradise . . . if they ever made it. A honking horn behind her caused her to check her rearview mirror and her heart sank into her stomach when she recognized the car. A Lincoln Town Car followed behind her, blowing to get her attention. She frowned in confusion. “What the fuck are you blowing for?” she complained to herself as she rolled her eyes. “Damn it . . . today is not the fucking day. It’s a red light you idiot!” she shouted. The car pulled up beside her and the back window slowly rolled down. As Raegan realized who was in her presence, she felt all of the blood drain from her face. His face was her worst nightmare—the last person she wanted to see. Without thinking she pressed the gas pedal down to the floor.

“Fuck! How did he find me?” she asked as she instantly took off. No matter how fast she drove she couldn’t shake the tinted car.

BOOM!

The driver crashed into the rear of her car causing Raegan to swerve into oncoming highway traffic. She cut the wheel to the right and barely missed a collision only to be rammed from behind again.

“Agh!” she screamed in a desperate attempt to maintain control of the car. The driver pulled up to Raegan and rolled down his window.

“Pull over!” he shouted as he lifted a pistol up to show her he was strapped.

Raegan grabbed the pistol from her passenger seat and held it up as she raised an eyebrow in rebuttal.

Nigga, you’re not the only one who can pop something, she thought angrily as she kept driving like a bat out of hell. There was no way she was stopping that car. She knew who sat in the backseat of the town car and she most definitely wasn’t trying to see him. She could only imagine the type of revenge he sought and tears came to her. . .