What's Really Hood! by Wahida Clark Read Free Book Online Page B

into her forehead. Behind Desiree the blazing fire was making a cruel thought burn
     its way into Mance’s mind. He wanted to see her burn. He wanted her to suffer. He nudged her back toward the fire. When she
     felt the intense heat at her back she pushed forward but Mance started to choke her with one hand. He wanted her to burn alive.
     She raked at his face with her nails. She dug her nails in deeply to the white meat but he ignored the pain.Toying with her, he raised her to her feet. He released his grip. She gasped for air. Seeing how light and small she was,
     he dropped the .38, then ripped her sweater off with his free hand. Desiree fought, kicked, clawed and screamed as Mance shoved
     her toward the fire.
    Polo knocked the back sliding glass door out as Desiree’s screams filled his head. He rushed toward the den with his .38 in
     his hands. When he reached the den he found Desiree fighting for her life with her back on fire. Polo rushed toward her, jumped
     over the sofa, landed on his feet, then shot Mance three times in his neck before he could turn around. He shoved Mance’s
     body to the side, then pulled Desiree from the fire to frantically beat the fire out on her back. She passed out from the
     pain. Seeing that she would live, he called 911 on Lamar’s phone, wiped off his prints and left it off the hook. He knew the
     911 operator would send police sooner or later, and Polo would be missing by then. As he left with Bizzy he received a call
     from Lil’ Rick. He made it a point not to mention Lil’ Rick’s name.
    “Whut up?” Lil’ Rick said. “My cuz tole me about Tink. Is he okay?”
    “Yeah, got hit wit some birdshot.”
    “Damn. Any idea who did it?”
    “Nah,” he lied.
    “Well… keep this on the low. But if you need a nigga, I’ll be ova Candy’s crib. Get at me, dawg.”
    Polo hung up. “Bizzy.”
    “Yo.”
    “That was Lil’ Rick. Look, I’ma keep what you told me to myself and you do the same about what went down at Kaseem’s crib.”
    Bizzy crossed his heart then kissed his finger. “Dat’s a bet, my nigga. I’m not havin’ no D’s question me about nothin’.”
     In truth, it was his fear of Lil’ Rick. The deal of silence was sealed.
    Five weeks later
    Lil’ Rick was now back in Raleigh pimping hard in his new sunburst orange Hummer H2 rolling on twenty-eight-inch DUB rims.
     With Kaseem dead and his team broken up, he had no fear of anyone retaliating for his lick on Datwon. Even Datwon had packed
     up and left with his girl. Shit, he was happy to be alive.
    Tink was home now. He could walk, but no running, nor could he lie on his back. The good news was that Trina was now four
     and a half weeks pregnant with his second seed. Tink also had a job. He worked at a kiosk selling black-authored novels for
     Vic Mar Publications. It was legal and positive and Trina was proud of her man.
    As for Bizzy, he got tired of stressing about Lil’ Rick finding out about his deal with Mance, so he packed up and moved to
     South Carolina with his uncle.
    Polo was still going back and forth to court for his gun charge—well, he only went twice but it was two times too many. Today
     he was waiting at his lawyer’s office to speak to his lawyer. He nodded at the new white legal assistant who had Desiree’s
     old office. Polo had beenat Trina’s crib watching the news when the story had broken about the three dead bodies at Kaseem’s crib. He knew Desiree
     was okay when the reporter stated her condition but didn’t mention her name. He would never forget that November night.
    “Tyrone Bell,” an unfamiliar voice called his name. He looked toward the door to see a fine shapely brown-skinned woman wearing
     winter apparel by Baby Phat from shoulder to feet. The woman walked toward him in her fur-lined boots and held out her gloved
     hand. Polo came to his feet.
    “My name is Jelena,” she said.
    “How you know my government name?” he asked after shaking her hand.
    “You