She asked, and I looked over to the passenger seat where Pernelle had cried herself back to sleep.
“I’m actually on the other side of town right now. We can meet somewhere else.”
“That’s fine, as long as it’s low key.”
“Alright, I’m going to shoot you another address.”
I took the phone from my ear and typed in the address to the flat I owned in Harlem. It was a place I purchased when I was attempting to be on my real estate shit like Hov. I instead never put any time or effort into that place, and it has just been sitting there for two years, untouched and unfurnished.
“Can you please come soon, Crew. My niece is leaving soon, and I want to go spend time with her tonight before bed.”
“I got you. I’m like thirty minutes out.”
We hung up the phone, and I bent the corners while the car stayed silent until we got to my building. I helped Pernelle out of the car and into my condo.
“Order everything you need from DoorDash, Amazon, or wherever and have it delivered here until I find you a spot.”
“How am I supposed to order this stuff, Crew? I don’t have any money like that.”
I didn’t respond but went into my wallet and pulled out my card.
“Use this.”
“Okay, but are you going to bring the baby’s things in the car up here? I don't think they will be safe in the car all night?”
“I will when I get back. It will be alright back there in the meantime.”
“Okay.” She winced in pain as she sat down on the couch, and the look on her face told me it was too low. That’s when I went into the utility closet and grabbed a couple of pillows, putting them on the sofa to make Pernelle more comfortable.
Once I left my apartment, I walked past the adjacent unit and heard knocking coming from the inside. That shit pissed me off because I told that bitch, I would kill her in an instant if she made one sound that traveled outside of this apartment. I hope she knew I wasn’t bull shitting either. I will really wring her fuckin neck.
I grabbed my keys from my pocket and went over to the door to set this bitch straight, especially with Pernelle being in my spot today. I purchased this next door apartment when I first moved into this building, but I only used it to store old clothes and furniture. Inside was also a person who I been hiding from the world. At least until I got done using her ass for bait for the other mutha fucka I want to kill. Her accomplice.
“Efunny! Get your ass the fuck up. You not sleep. I heard your ass.” I kicked her up from the ground, and she cracked her eyes open like she was dead to the world.
“Huh? Wha, wha, what’s going on?”
Her hair was all over her head and she looked like a fraction of the person I first locked up months ago. Truth is, she was only alive because I was trying to use her to get Elijah, but he been distant with her ass. The most response we could get out of him when I made her call was that he was out of town and would meet her again one day, once the smoke cleared. To him, she was still on the run too; he just didn’t know that she wasn’t running from shit but waiting for her death sentence as soon as he got his.
“Call that nigga now and see if he is in New York. Pernelle apartment got trashed and I just thought about him potentially doing the shit. If not him then I know your people did it.”
“I mean I can call him, but I’m sure he still won’t tell me. He knows something is up. I can tell.”
“He doesn’t know shit, he may think some shit, but he doesn’t fuckin know. Call him and tell him you got another play or something. Tell him it’s big money waiting.”
“A play on who?”
“I don’t know, one of the Quatar family niggas or somebody. Tell him you found their spot, and y’all can get enough money to flee the country. Here, do it now.”
I grabbed the phone I had just for Efunny to call her sidekick on, and the phone rang a few times before the call picked up.
“Hello?”
“Yo, yo, you good? You straight?”
“Yeah, I’m straight and you?”
“I’m alright, man. Just trying to find some comfort out in Jersey. I ran out of all the money I had stacked up, so I’m hustling now. You still balling? You back in New York?”
