“Yeah. A lot. Her nigga brought her here the first time,” Honey replies.
“Marcelin?” Sunjiya asks.
“Yeah, that fuck ass nigga. You met him?” Honey asks and Sunjiya just shakes her head but Akeem answers.
“I have,” he says and Honey’s eyes dart toward him then back to Sunjiya.
“And you’re not one of his men? You don’t work for him?” Honey questions skeptically.
“Not like that,” Sunjiya answers before he can. “Marcelin hired him to find her but he found me instead. Now he’s helping me find her.”
“For Marcelin?” Honey snaps. “You’re finding her for him, right?”
“Nah,” he says, then steps closer to make sure she hears him loud and clear. Without hesitation or mincing his words, he emphatically states, “I took the job blindly, but once I found out how he handles women, shit changed. I don’t work for men like him. I’m here to find Tanjaya and help her, then I’m gonna handle him.”
“I hope you kill his black hearted ass,” she spits.
“That’s the plan,” he admits. “Do you know where she would go?”
Honey sighs then tilts her head contemplatively. After running through her thoughts, she straightens and looks at Sunjiya. “I just know she wanted to be far, far away from him. That nigga beat the shit out her, pimped her out, and treated her like shit, all the fucking while saying he loved her. I hate him andhope she really got away ’cause he was gonna,” she says while shaking her head, then abruptly stops, dreading finishing her words.
“Gonna what?” Sunjiya asks, although everything in her knows the rest.If a man would hit a woman, he would kill her.
Honey closes her eyes and utters, “He was gonna kill her.” She shrugs then shakes her head. “He tried before and almost succeeded,” she says and a boulder forms in Sunjiya’s throat that she struggles to swallow.
Three loud and rapid knocks on the door break the intensity in the room and pulls all of their attention. Honey’s words linger in the air but she stands and steps toward the door. If she doesn’t, Lil Mike will for sure barge in, thinking there’s a problem because the standard hour in the room is up.
“You good?” Lil Mike asks.
“We need more time,” she says. There’s so much more she needs to tell them. Plus, she wants to speak to Sunjiya alone. Honey’s spirit is uneasy and she still isn’t convinced that Sunjiya isn’t Tanjaya doing whatever she needs to stay away from Marcelin.
“Not tonight. Ano wants you back on the floor now. Some ballers from the league just pulled up out back and he wants his baddest out here,” he says resolutely.
“Five minutes, please,” she pleads, taking a chance. When Ano calls, she comes; just like every bitch in here. He has no problem replacing any of them and her money is too damn good to risk that.
When Lil Mike merely mean mugs her and doesn’t respond, Akeem turns to face him. Some things and some men don’t need words to decipher them. The way a man carries himself, walks with no fear, and gives eye contact sans any intimidation speaks volumes. Lil Mike picked that shit up on Akeem as soon as hewas in his space. Real recognizes real. So when Akeem interjects and speaks, Lil Mike finally responds.
“We need five more minutes,” Akeem says.
“Three,” Lil Mike concedes, but on his terms, then closes the door. He has to save face with Honey. The girls depend on him and fear him at the same damn time. He has to maintain that conundrum in order to maintain the status quo back here.
Honey rushes back to Sunjiya. “I have to go but I’m off at four. I gotta get my baby but we can talk tomorrow. After ten though. A bitch gotta get some sleep.”
“Where can we find you?” Akeem asks.
No one knows where Honey lays her damn head, no one, especially niggas who come in here and fucking strangers. Even if he is truly here to help Tan, Honey doesn’t know him from Adam. Her address isn’t an option.
“Hit me tomorrow and we can link up,” she says while holding her hand out to Sunjiya. “Give me your phone, I’ll add my number.” Another knock sounds on the door so Honey wiggles her fingers for Sunjiya to hurry. She really has to get out of the room and back on the floor. Thankfully, Sunjiya quickly gives her the phone. In less than ten seconds, Honey adds her contact. “We gotta get outta here before he brings his big ass in here,” she says before throwing her arms around Sunjiya. Her embrace is tight and filled with love. “I didn’t hug her the last time we saw each other. When you find her, give this hug and my love,” she whispers before releasing Sunjiya and scurrying to the door.
This time Akeem opens it and the three walk out. Akeem turns to gauge Sunjiya and Honey takes off, practically running in her six-inch heels. Sunjiya has a blank expression, stunned, standing in place, not moving. Just when Akeem reaches back to coax her, Lil Mike speaks.
“Ay. Man. I really need y’all to leave from back here,” he says with less bass than normal. Honey is gone and he’s not trying to start shit with Akeem. It’s clear that Lil Mike’s size and deep ass voice doesn’t faze Akeem. Unlike most men Lil Mike encounters, Akeem sees past his obvious size.
Without even acknowledging Lil Mike, Akeem leads her out of the private section into the main area of the club. In the hour they were with Honey, the club somehow got more crowded. The little space to move around somewhat comfortably dissipated and everyone is shoulder to shoulder.
Sunjiya leans in and somberly whispers to Akeem, “We can leave.”
“You sure? We can see if someone else might know her,” he asks for confirmation. Honey was a great lead and start, but she’s only a start. If Tanjaya has been here on multiple occasions, there’s a chance maybe someone else knows her and can provide more valuable information.
