They Took Him

Chapter 6: Puzzle Pieces

Me and Tiff laid on the low awhile after I killed that prostitute. When I saw her kids on the news, I start feeling bad because they were going to grow up without a mother and I knew the feeling. She had three little ones, but she shouldn't have been out there on the streets selling booty if she knew she had kids at home. I mean, but who was I to judge the lady? I told myself it was okay because the chick knew she had responsibilities at home and she was out there in the streets being a skank. That's how I got sleep at night...

About two weeks later, Tiff bring this broad to me talking about she trust the girl with her life and she thinks we should add a third person to the "group". I'm looking at Tiff like she done lost her mind. Before I know it, me and Tiff exchanging words and what I was telling her wasn't all that nice. This chick she bought to me had tattoos all over her body and look like she had murdered way more people than I could count. Tiff had me sold when she told me the girl was from the St. Thomas, but I ain't trust her as far as I could throw her.

Her name was La'Tisha but I called her Lil St. Thomas and the name stuck. She told us about all the family she had in the St. Thomas and the girl was cool. She bought her own guns and she had her own style, but just looking at her, I knew this girl was about business. She didn't hold her tongue and she didn't hesitate to shoot when everything got out of order. Tiffany was my right hand, but she was my trigger finger.

We started out slow, just easing our way into the new hood. We got the guys attention first and believe me it was easy. There was a block party and all we had to do was like nice and we got all the attention. Basically, we were the fine women that always said "no" in the St. Thomas.

One day, though, this dude walk up to me named Terrance. His talk game was good and he was fine as wine. He asked me for my number and before I know it we caking on the phone every night. Tiffany said he was a distraction and I didn't need, and she couldn't have been more right.

Joshua was keeping good on his side of the bargain and he was doing good in school. With me hanging in the streets, it probably seem like I wasn't going to school, but I was and school was always easy for me. I was almost living a double life, but they were like light and darkness. Monday-Friday, from 8-3, I was just a straight A student. Any time I wasn't in school, I was in the streets, though.

Terrence kept bothering me about school saying I didn't have to go, that we would be together forever and he would take care or me. I start having this bad feeling every time I get around him and I start creating distance, but Terrence was so persistent so when I backed away, he just moved closer. I got wise, though, and I started using his knowledge in the streets to help me. See, Terrence acted like he was just another dope dealer slanging on the corner but I knew he wasn't because he always had somebody with him, almost like a body guard. I was not ready for the truth about who he was though when it came to me.

About 8 months after me and Terrence got together, he was drunk and talking out the side of his neck about how he killed his own father and how he ain't never been scared of no nigga. As soon as he says that, I'm running to the toilet throwing up because for the last couple of days, I hadn't been feeling well. I asked him to leave and I had the craziest dream that my dad was talking to me. He was telling me who Terrence really was and I knew I wasn't having a regular dream.

I knew Terrence was a major piece of the puzzle to figuring out who killed my dad, but not like I thought. I wished with all my heart he wasn't the puzzle piece I thought he was because I was pregnant...