Married to the Shooter Read online

  Releasing the near-death grip, he allowed his wounded prey’s body to slide down the wall onto the pieces of fallen paint chips. Once he was on the ground, Nolan raised his gym shoe, smashing it down on Joe Brezzy-Bey’s forehead. A huge unicorn lump immediately formed, then split wide open. Small spackles of blood adorned the toe portion of Nolan’s shoes. Seeing that, his enthusiasm to draw more increased. Nolan not only wanted to, but he also craved to see more. He’d become totally zoned out and bloodthirsty on getting satisfaction. If you stole from Nolan White, there was a bigger price to pay in the long run. And Joe Brezzy-Bey was now finding that out firsthand.

  Chapter Two

  What was taking place in the basement was starting to get way out of control. Nolan had gone beyond proving his point. Thankfully, before any more harm could be inflicted, he was interrupted by his wife. Kapri was the only one besides himself who had keys to the stash house. So when he heard the side door open and close, Nolan knew it was she. He also quickly recognized Kapri’s routine hearing her footsteps above. She’d no doubt put her purse and keys on the kitchen counter, then went to the rear bedroom to see if the floor safe in the back of the closet was good. Nolan knew his spouse like the back of his hand. Like him, she never played around when their money was concerned. Listening to the sounds of her heels click down the stairs, Nolan smirked. No matter the circumstances, he loved to see his reason for living coming. Kapri was his peace, even in the midst of chaos.

  “Hey, bae, what you doing down there? I got some shit to tell you that your ass ain’t gonna believe.” Stepping foot in the basement, Kapri raised one eyebrow. Usually, she was upbeat. However, there was no smile on her face. She was perplexed, immediately noticing something was weirdly wrong and off. Her man’s wife beater was drenched and bloodied. She rushed over toward him, then stopped, wondering if she should run back upstairs and grab her gun. Locking eyes with her husband, she saw the death gaze expression he proudly wore. Kapri knew that look. Her husband was on one, but what?

  Then Kapri saw the obvious and went ballistic. “Ain’t this some shit? How fucking ironic. Just the slithering snake I wanted to see—Brezzy-Bey’s foul rotten ass. You ho-made motherfucker! You ain’t shit! I should fuck you up, bitch nigga!” Kapri shouted, calling him every name in the book. With grave intentions and contempt, she viciously lunged in his direction. She didn’t care that Joe Brezzy-Bey was already fucked the fuck up. She wanted nothing more than to lay hands on him herself. Knowing what she’d just discovered about him had her vexed.

  Nolan was thrown off by her initial reaction to see Brezzy-Bey. He knew she despised him. The entire crew did. But right now, Kapri was being extra as hell. In one quick movement, Nolan caught his girl up by the waist, slowing her intended attack down. Although his wife didn’t know the latest antics by the worker she never trusted, the fool had certainly done enough since being on the team to cause her to clown. But she was going too far with it.

  “Whoa, whoa, baby. Slow ya roll, bae. I got this. Ya already know he back on that same bullshit, fucking up the bag. But you can see I’m handling it. So—”

  “Naw, love, let me go. This time, he on a whole other level with it.” Kapri’s hatred for Brezzy-Bey grew with every passing moment she looked at him. She fought to get her husband’s hands off of her. Her body twisted, then turned, then twisted some more. But Nolan’s strength was too much to break free from, so she chilled.

  “Say what now? What you mean ‘another level’?” Shifting his full attention to his wife, Nolan took a brief break from the beating. He let her go, seeing his better half had slightly calmed down. “Okay, bae, you good now or what?”

  Kapri had to take a few deep breaths to get all the way steady. Her pressure was sky-high. She started pacing in a circle, shaking her head, trying to find the words to describe how angry she truly was. She was now also annoyed that her expensive cream-colored linen suit had a mixture of blood and sweat soaked into the blazer. Today just wasn’t her day, and in her view, it was one person’s fault.

  “Damn, I swear to God it’s like this is Karma or some shit that this slimeball-ass buster is down here,” she nodded toward the corner of the basement where Joe Brezzy-Bey was trying to catch his breath and regain his composure. “Oh my God, this bitch-ass nigga! Fuck! I’m pissed!”

  Nolan took a few steps in his wife’s direction, still keeping a watchful eye on Joe Brezzy-Bey. Kapri was acting as if someone had run over her dog on purpose or something. And that enraged disposition had him dumbfounded. “Hey, baby, what up, doe, with all this? What’s good with you? Why you bugging? And what you mean, ‘another level and Karma’?”

  “Niggaaaa,” she dragged the word out while taking off her blazer, throwing it on the step near her purse. “You just don’t under-damn-stand! I swear shit is crazy!” Kapri covered her face with both hands and screamed into her palms. It was if she were having a nervous breakdown or one of her episodes. Kapri had psychological issues like her husband, but neither was on meds. They just lived life and took it how it came.

  Nolan had to find out what the problem was. He’d been dealing with Joe Brezzy-Bey and his mess and was mentally drained, and it showed on his face. “Damn, girl, slow your ass down! You got me confused as hell right about now.”

  Kapri stood barely just over five feet. Yet, using all her strength, she yanked her husband over to the side near an old washing machine. They were now standing face-to-face, and Nolan saw tears form in his wife’s eyes. Then a few dropped. Her lower lip started to quiver, causing Nolan to realize something else was going on with his woman besides the ticket money being short again—something more serious. Before he knew what was happening next, Kapri bolted back to the stairs only to return quickly with her purse. Opening the designer handbag, she took out an envelope. Setting her purse on the step again, she then opened the envelope. Removing some papers, she could only shake her head in disgust and roll her tear-filled eyes at Joe Brezzy-Bey.

  “Boy, I don’t know why you don’t be listening to me when I tell you shit. I knew that throwback broad you insist on being halfway cool with was nothing but trouble. But, naw, you always gotta be with that loyal bullshit. You just as much to blame as that nothing-ass bitch and his punk ass!”

  “Baby, what you talking about now? What she do? I told you it ain’t nothing between her and me like that and never was. So what’s all the shade for? You tripping up in here.” Nolan could easily see his wife was pissed but couldn’t understand why. Whenever wifey brought up ole girl, an attitude always lurked behind it. Nolan couldn’t win for losing, always trying to be stand up. Like Brezzy-Bey, he too looked at the stairs wishing he could just walk the hell away.

  “Shade? Tripping? For real? Oh, Negro, please. You funny as hell.” Kapri grabbed a handful of her shoulder-length, blond-streaked hair, pulling it all to the back. Poking her lips out, she firmly placed her hands on her hips, bossing up on her husband. “Trust and believe, ain’t no insecurities this damn way. What kinda weed ya ass done smoked, or is you getting high with that bum over there?”

  “Bae, I was just saying. Damn, now, you really bugging.” Nolan knew once his wife started going, she went hard, even on him if called for. And whatever the deal was, she was taking no prisoners.

  “Look now, ain’t no trick out here can go toe-to-toe with me. So, boy, bye. You can straight go on with all that set tripping.” Kapri bucked her eyes. There were no more tears, only anger. She waved her hand, dismissing her husband’s immediate assumptions of her being jealous.

  “Well, umm . . .” Nolan folded his arms up to his chest, giving her the eye.

  “Well, umm, nothing! I wish that was all it was where her dumb ass was concerned. But that thirsty whore the one that brought that snitch over there into our lives. And even when I told you he was gonna be a problem, you put the rat on a bag anyway. A damn snitch! So, yeah, like I said, check your damn self behind this uncalled for bullshit. And while you at it, take off that damn bloody-ass shirt. You the one bugging!”

  Nolan took off the once-clean wife beater, tossing it off to the side. Bare chest, he then paused, taking in the moment. He wanted to make sure he heard correctly. Kapri was high-strung and used to going from zero to a hundred in no time flat. The devoted husband had to make sure this wasn’t one of those occasions. But this was far from an ordinary once-a-month, “I’m on my cycle” type of outburst. Regardless, Nolan had her back either way, but he at least wanted to understand the reason. “Whoa, slow it down, baby girl. What you mean a rat and a snitch? What you talking about? Him? That motherfucker over there? I’m confused as hell.”

  Joe Brezzy-Bey was attempting to regain his composure. He was just starting to breathe normally again when he heard his boss’s wife say the words “rat,” followed by “snitch,” pointing directly at him. Once again, he started to spaz out, this time without Nolan’s hands even being wrapped around his throat. By the sound of things, Brezzy-Bey feared what may have been coming next. He thought his heart was going to jump out of his body. He started to tremble in fear, and the lump on his head began to ache even more. Now he had to deal with two of them, so the stairs as a means of escape, even risking that bullet in the spine, was definitely out of the equation. Joe Brezzy-Bey was trapped, and he would soon be exposed.

  Kapri cut her dagger eyes back at the man held captive. Annoyed, she handed her husband the stapled, folded, three-page document she’d gotten from their lawyer. The information was supposed to be confidential. But thankfully, their attorney had inside connects that he’d pay for information if need be. This go-around, clear-cut, was money well spent. “Yeah, bae, check this out. This what that beloved lame over there really think about your yellow ass. I promise he got down on you. Truth be told, all our asses!”
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  “What’s this?” Nolan took the papers from his wife. Quickly he unfolded them. He glanced over at Brezzy-Bey before he started to read what exactly had Kapri so gone. It had to be major, so he braced himself.

  “Yeah, I told you when you caught his ass selling burn bags, he was gonna be a problem. But, naw, getting rid of him was a no-go for you. When his dusty ass kept snorting that shit, you still kept him down. I swear, I should’ve just got somebody to kill this weak link a long time ago. So now we fucked in the game ’cause you was showing favoritism to that basic bitch cousin of his.” Kapri’s Red Bottom heels scraped across the basement concrete floor. She marched from one side to the other mean-muggin’ their injured guest. She hated him and his entire generation, for that matter. He needed to die for his betrayal.

  “Damn, what the fuck.” Nolan saw the official heading on the top of the paperwork . . . Wayne County Prosecutor’s Office. He couldn’t believe what he was seeing. A sudden migraine shot through his head. Immediately, it caused his temples to pulsate at a steady, rapid rate. With that bronze-colored raised letter insignia, he knew the words to follow after that would be all bad. Anything that had to do with the Prosecutor’s Office had no choice but to be. This shit is fucked up. What these sons of bitches want? I know this shit can’t be about me. The hardcore hustler tried to brace himself even more, but it was no good. After being in the game making moves since a teen, a drug dealer’s most dreaded nightmare was coming into play.

  What his girl was saying was true. She, his team, he, and all they had built up in the streets were in jeopardy. Now he understood why Kapri was emotionally and physically off the chain. It all made sense. His wife had every right to be in her feelings because he was now in his too. Sentence after sentence, Nolan, known around Detroit as the “Shooter,” started to bleed with anger for the ultimate betrayal. For the most part, Joe Brezzy-Bey was treated like family. But now, he had broken the deadly foremost street hustle commandment: thou shall not snitch on your peoples. His fate would soon be sealed.

  Chapter Three

  Kapri knew the first domino had been pushed. Well, it’s really ’bout to go down now. She left her husband on the other side of the stash house basement to come to grips with what he was about to read. But now she had her own overdue business with Brezzy-Bey to tend to. Without closing her eyes, she prayed to God to calm her down some before she had a stroke.

  Damn, let me get my shit together. Heart racing like a motherfucker!

  Wasting no more time, she removed her .380 Ruger out of her purse. As she put one up top, her anger level shot back up to a solid ten. Just in case he had any ideas of trying to make a run for it, she’d be ready. Aiming it at Joe Brezzy-Bey’s head, he raised his arms, trying to shield himself from potential gunfire. The dime piece-educated diva wasn’t a killer by any means. That trait was solely her man’s department as well as her father’s. Nonetheless, she’d step up to be one if it meant the difference between her going to prison for life and remaining free.

  “I knew you was a piece of filth from off rip. I told Nolan you was weak as fuck. I told him you was still getting high, ole dope fiend.” Kapri pressed the barrel of her pistol into Brezzy-Bey’s already shattered jaw. “But, naw, he was too caught up on trying to be loyal to that low-down cousin of yours for some payback bullshit a decade old.”

  Kapri watched his one eye that wasn’t swollen shut widen. Then a single tear dropped. It was no secret to Brezzy-Bey or the rest of the crew how she felt about him. The otherwise devoted wife never accepted him as family or being a part of her husband’s team. Now, knowing what she knew, Kapri was glad she clowned on him on sight. Anytime she’d be in Brezzy-Bey’s presence, there was quickly a problem or misunderstanding to be had between her better half and her.

  “I swear to God I wish I could just pull this trigger right damn now. You ain’t shit. Nolan been good to your ugly ass, and this how you do him? This how you do a man that’s had your back no matter what? I swear you straight pussy. What all you tell them damn police?” She nudged the pistol deeper into his perspiration-drenched, bloodied skin. “And matter of fact, take off them motherfucking clothes. And hurry the fuck up, ole bitch-ass nigga!”

  “Fiona—”

  “Hold up. I know you ain’t trying to say that busto’s name to me like it means something. You done ruined everything. I swear I hope you rot in hell. And if I have my way, that walking-virus-in-a-skirt-Fiona will be right along with you! Now, like I said, strip and hurry your ass up.” After spitting directly into Joe Brezzy-Bey’s face, Kapri’s mind started to race, wondering what Nolan’s and her next move would be. The lawyer didn’t say how much the cops knew about their operation or when they might act on it. He just gave his longtime clients the heads-up that the “house of hustle” they’d built was about to fall. The only thing Kapri could do was pray Nolan could make shit right. Now fully nude, she checked to make sure Joe Brezzy-Bey wasn’t wearing a wire. Kapri was streetwise enough to know if the documented snitch was, she and Nolan would be locked up by now facing life.

  * * *

  Nolan concentrated. Holding the paperwork under the light, he read over everything twice, carefully, then once more. His mind was speeding. He had to make sure he was getting the full picture of what the documents said. Joe Brezzy-Bey had given him up to the cops, that much was evident. And by some of the statements written, the worker-turned-informant had flipped on a few more guys out in the city making moves. But none of those dealers concerned Nolan. His business was his to worry about. And this unloyal move Brezzy-Bey had made was indeed on another level. The consequences were life, death, and freedom… or lack thereof. Nolan realized that much.

  Kapri could easily tell her husband was about to bust a vein on the side of his neck. The more Nolan read, the more that vein started to bulge. His lip turned up in disgust more than once. It was apparent that what he had just read had caught him off guard. This was the last thing he was expecting to see. It was no great secret that Joe Brezzy-Bey was a royal fuckup where the ticket money was concerned. That’s why Nolan was in the middle of beating his ass. But this outta-the-blue revelation right here was a whole different animal. The punishment for this was way more than just laying hands on a person. This meant death. It had to. After all, what Joe Brezzy-Bey had done would change the lives of Nolan and Kapri forever. Their hard-fought perfect dream world had just become a ghoulish nightmare—one from which they probably would never wake up. Now, the way his girl was behaving all made perfect sense.

  With the gun still aimed at a panicked, nude Joe Brezzy-Bey, Kapri leaned upward. She snatched the documents out of Nolan’s hands, throwing them on the floor at their feet. Having the paperwork in her possession for a little over an hour, she had time to calm down and process what the outcome of dealing with a snitch could bring. But she still nutted up when she laid eyes on the punk-ass nigga. So, now it was her husband’s turn to do the same. Only thing is, Nolan had no time to think or process shit—just react. Over the years, the bond couple had been in and through some really wild, over-the-top situations. Most they sat back and now would laugh about. But none of this jumping off was humorous to any degree. Standing face-to-face, Kapri asked her man what he planned on doing next. Of course, she threw in her two cents about what she thought should occur.

  “So, bae, you see what I was saying? That dirtbag Fiona done brought this good mouth-running fool into our lives. So real talk, whatever you do to him, you need to do to that wanna-be-me tramp too. I mean, seriously, we don’t know how much he has told them.” Using her free hand, she caressed Nolan’s muscular arm. She knew whenever she would do that, nine outta ten, she’d get her way.

  “Yeah, baby, you right.” Nolan instantly agreed, regretting he hadn’t listened to her in never giving Brezzy-Bey work from jump. “My bad, booboo, on not doing what you thought was best. You be seeing shit a nigga like me be overlooking. That’s why I married your pretty ass. You always got me in good times and bad. And it looks like this some of the bad.” Nolan held his wife’s chin up, then kissed her on the lips. “But don’t be worried. I ain’t ’bout to let some judge break us up again. Fuck walking that yard. A nigga built to do that time, but fuck that. I need to be home with you, building and shit. Ya feel me?”