Episode 12: "A Million Dollar Beatdown"

It was finally that time. Kareem was on his way over to my house to finalize the plan against Keith. Keith was supposed to be going to get some cash for us to leave in a few days, at least that what he told me when I talked to him a few hours ago. I immediately got on the phone with Kareem and said “It’s time.” He said pack your bags and everything you wanna take with you. I’ll be there in a little while, get the money and then we hop the first flight outta here. So I was packing and Kareem was ringing my doorbell.

I ran down the stairs to answer the door. He looked like he packed everything he had in a matter of minutes and came rushing over. Sweat beads were on his forehead. His shirt was little wet.

Kareem had walked right by me without giving me a hug or a kiss. "Baby, forgive me, but I got over here as fast as I could, and as you see I'm a little bit funky. So, I did a bit of googling, and found out where Keith lives. Powder Springs section of Atlanta, huh? Yeah a brotha like that wouldn't dare keep his stash in the most obvious place like the mansion that he lives in." Kareem put his belongings close to the door, while grabbing a wet towel from me.

"Thanks babe. Here, take this." Kareem handed me two airline tickets for a 4:30 flight to Newark Liberty. "Be ready. This won't take long."

“Be safe.” I locked the door behind Kareem and got the rest of my things together. I called my mom to leave her a message and let her know I was taking another big turn in my life and moving from Atlanta. Things just weren’t working out and I needed to take another big step in my life; my writing career. I packed the last of my things grabbed my dog and walked out the door just as my cab was pulling up.



Meanwhile…

He left the house, and got into Andre's Mercedes. He kept the empty duffle bag in the front seat with him, as he made his way towards the upper class neighborhood of Powder Springs.

On the other side of town…..
Kareem had been acting strange as of late, Andre noticed. He shook his head when Kareem asked him to borrow his car for a little while. He didn't argue, but just gave him the key...telling him to fill it up with gas on the way back. Andre chuckle even at that; knowing that he wasn’t going to be riding that Mercedes again. He was still shaken on how easy it was to have Carlos's money wired to his off shore account. He wasn't going to sit around and pat himself on the back...not with Carlos out there still trying to find his money. That $100,000 insured limit on any funds in the bank wouldn't stand with Carlos. Not when there was over $750,000 on its way to Grand Cayman as Andre was thinking about it right now. He needed to make this call. Shanese was heavy on his mind; the only person he was thinking about spending his funds with.
Andre packed up everything he had, and called a cab. He was hoping Shanese was home, as he rang her phone.

Flex was calling and calling since I last talked to him about the incident at his job. I knew that Flex was a decent man and wouldn’t steal anything. Someone was surely setting him up. I wasn’t sold on staying around with Flex knowing that he would be locked up and I would be back to fend for myself. Lil Mark had to eat and his daddy was too consumed with his new baby girl. It wasn’t like I could run to him for anything and if I did it wasn’t like he had it to give. So I had to make a decision. But just as I was getting my thoughts together, the phone rang.

“Hello?”

"Hey, Shanese. Hi, listen, I got a proposition for you: how would you like to go to Paradise? It'll be a...rather long vacation." Andre laughed, then got serious. "Shanese, I want you to be with me. I think we can make a great couple, plus one. That job I just completed paid off rather handsomely."

I laughed. Andre didn't seem very serious. "What are you talking about?"

"Baby, Paradise will be a permanent vacation. Let's just say you, me and lil Mark will never have to worry about money again. This is my gratitude to you being such a great and understanding friend...and hopefully...lover." Andre held his breath, hoping not to hear any more laughter on the other end of the phone.

Money was all Shanese heard. It was like God himself had come through the phone and said you never have to worry about money again. Just minutes ago she was worrying about Flex and his issue and how she was gonna fend for herself. God had answered her prayers.

“Andre you want me to leave with you? You will take care of me and my son? When do we leave?”

"Ha ha, yes Shanese, I see how much love you have for your son, and I know from our talks that it's been a struggle for you at times. You've open me up again to love. I've been in a hole for so long, that I didn't think I would ever get out of it. We could be on the first flight to Paradise with just a word. Let me do this for you, please."

I thought about it for a minute before responding. Lil Mark was sitting on the floor staring at the TV, I looked around my house. I was getting now where here on my own. The only choice I had was to leave. I hated to do Flex like that when he was such a good man but I had to think about my son and myself on this one. I quickly told Andre yes I was serious. He said he was on his way to get me. I started packing.


On the other side of town….

"So, that's the infamous Keith Forbes," said Kareem to himself. He sat in the Mercedes just down the hill from where Keith was leaving his house, watching him getting into his Lexus. Kareem was checking Keith out, noticing that he was a "pretty boy", with his wavy hair, nice clothes...a true metrosexual. "Too bad there won't be anything pretty to look at when I'm done with you," Kareem continued to talk to himself. Keith was on the move, and so was Kareem.

Staying at a good distance behind Keith, Kareem followed along as Keith headed west. Less than a half hour later, the Lexus finally slowed down...slowly pulling onto a narrow dirt road. Not wanting to take a chance on being seen, Kareem drove pass to road, and pulled over down deep into a ditch. He wasn't sure how far down the dirt road Keith was going, but he took a chance and left the car to follow on foot...grabbing the empty duffle bag in the process. In less than a mile, Kareem finally arrived to see the Lexus pulled over onto the grass, between a couple of tall pine trees. He looked around and didn't see anything else but trees and bushes. Maybe there isn't a safehouse. Maybe it's buried out here, Kareem thought to himself. Just then he saw Keith get out the car holding two thick briefcases, and headed into the wooded area. Kareem followed as quietly as he could.

Rounding a heavily wooded patch of land, Kareem saw it: the safehouse. Keith was just now entering it, looking back towards Kareem before entering the house. Kareem got low to the ground, not sure whether he was spotted. Looking up again, he saw the door close. He got back low to the ground, and decided to wait for an ambush.

It didn't take Keith long to come back out. Kareem heard the door shut, took a peek that way, and saw Keith carrying the now filled briefcases of money...walking right towards him. He opened up his duffle bag...and waited. He could hear Keith's footsteps as he approached closer. Finally, Keith walked right by Kareem, who was squatted within the low bush he was using to hide out. With Keith's back towards him now, Kareem stood up, and quickly rushed Keith, throwing the duffle bag around his head and using one of his kick boxing moves...knocking Keith to the ground while pulling the duffle bag tight around the head and shoulders. Keith dropped the briefcases, struggling to get the bag off of his head. Kareem used a grappling hold on Keith, subduing him while pounding his fist into the duffle bag covered head. Keith yelled out in pain, trying to break the hold but with no success. A few more punches to the head, and the yelling stopped.

Blood started to soak the bag, as the body went limp. Kareem stood up and looked around to see if there was anyone around. He loosened the tie from around Keith's head, and took off the bag. Kareem sucked in air as he saw the results of his punches: both eyes were swelling up, his nose busted and bleeding, and a opened gash on the side of his head. The bloody bag was a lost cause, thought Kareem. Quickly, he grabbed the two briefcases, and started off towards the main road. He then stopped, and turned towards Keith.

"It was a pleasure to finally meet you, Mr. Forbes," said Kareem. He walked around the unconscious Keith, talking to him some more. "That's for my brother, for letting him take the rap for your sorry ass. And for Kami, too. That's for treating a fine woman like her like shit. You don't deserve her, or this money. So we'll take care of it for you. Hasta luego, you son of a bitch!"

Kareem grabbed the keys to the Lexus, and walked back towards it, hopping in and driving off back to the main road. He pulled it in front of the Mercedes, deeper into the ditch, then got into the Benz and took off back east to catch a flight back home to New York with his girl Kami.

 
Darryl Mims's Crimes of Passion in the ATL is collabing with Dominique Watson's The Dirty Sexy Chronicles . Be sure to read those articles so you can really know what's going on and meet the characters that are being introduced throughout Crimes of Passion in the ATL: http://dirtysexychronicles.blogspot.com/