Hunt For Her: Black & White by Xyla Turner

Chapter Ten

Hunt

For a month,Kizzy and I had been studying, going out on dates and I spent many nights at her place. Not too many to overstay my welcome, but enough to let the asshole downstairs ask if I wanted a fucking key.

One evening, her friend Sade came over, as I was leaving, but she was having words with the guy downstairs. He was in the doorway doing his usual harassment bullshit, then somehow the conversation turned.

“You really do need to get laid, sir,” Sade taunted him. “You sound blocked up with this old man rifle routine.”

The man couldn’t have been any older than forty, but black people’s ages and looks could be deceptive. Kizzy ain’t look a day over twenty, but she was going on thirty. Sade and her other friend, Chelle too. I swear, they could pass for high school teenagers. They were grown-ass women.

“You signing up, girl?” Tyrell snapped back and crossed both of his arms over his chest.

“Ha!” Sade scoffed. “Hell fucking no. I sleep with men who have civility. Not natural asshole-ish behavior.”

“You sleep with clowns and who the fuck cares about civility when your pussy is squirting all over my face.”

Well, fuck me.

“Bullshit,” Sade laughed and crossed her arms. “Tell the truth. You wouldn’t know what to do with a woman like me.”

He chuckled back at her and moved to the side, “You know, you’re right. You got too much fucking mouth and I’d definitely stuff it, while I tanned your naughty ass over my lap. Women like you lack discipline and really wouldn’t know how to take a big dick if one was staring at you in the face. Go on and keep playing, little girl.”

He waved her up, but she just stood there glaring at him. When she finally decided to step up to pass him, he leaned in and said, “Oops, looka there. Those hard nipples betray you.”

That was my cue to start walking down the stairs because that gasp could only mean one or two things. They were about to start fucking or she was going to smack the shit out of him. Either would not bode well for Kizzy, so I began to whistle out loud. Tyrell merely tilted his head my way and rolled his eyes. Sade still looked a bit dazed, but not enough to show her disdain for me either.

“Y’all two kids have a good day and behave now,” I taunted both of em’ as I passed through the threshold of the front door.

I’m sure I heard asshole or bitch from them, but I really didn’t give a fuck either way. My girl was upstairs in the shower, cleaning my cum from between her legs. The only reason, I didn’t, is because Sade was coming over ‘any minute now’. As I pulled off, I saw the door was closed, so I assumed that everybody went where they were supposed to go. It wasn’t any of my business though.

What was my business, was me applying for security clearance that Professor Cullen’s colleagues told me to get as soon as possible. I also had a meeting about a book deal later that week, but I still hadn’t told Kizzy about anything yet. I wanted to get the irons on the fire, including my own place. Well, I had my own place, but it was a trailer park. I needed a nice apartment and eventually a house, so that I could surprise Kizzy and have her move with me.

As I went to turn in my paperwork in one of the office buildings downtown, I saw Hitto and some of the guys outside. They must have spotted my truck, because they lingered. Trying to focus on the electronic application, I finished it, gave my thanks to the secretary and went outside to see what the fuck was going on.

“Hitto,” I called.

Those other guys were not worth my time.

“Hunt,” he called back with a cigar hanging from his mouth. “Ain’t see you at the club.”

“Naw,” I grunted.

“Ain’t seen you nowhere, actually.” Hitto went on. “Don’t fuck with us, no more?”

“Seems to be that way,” I replied and looked the man right in his face.

I didn’t give a fuck what the hell they were saying, insinuating or even thinking they were about to do. I wasn’t going down without a fight.

Moving towards my car, one of the guys with Hitto blocked my path. Probably because he knows, I kept a glock in the glove compartment and I’d use it too.

“Not so fast,” the guy who had to be new, shook his head.

“I suggest you move out my way,” I warned him.

“Well, see the thing is Hunt. You know better than I do. You just can’t leave the club. There’s a process and a way to do it. You decide to be a nigga loving, hippie, then fine. But you still need to go through the…”

I turned and clocked Hitto right in the mouth. Then I lifted my knee up and tried to take his balls right off of their socket, as I crashed my boot down into them. Somebody sucker punched me from the side, so I grabbed onto one of those mother fuckers and beat the shit out of him.

Sirens were heard, doors were slammed, and I was in the back of a cop car.

Fuck.

So much for security clearance.

* * *

Hittoand the crew were bailed out almost immediately. The club had funds for the members. I, apparently, was no longer a member, so I had no one to call except Kizzy. I also didn’t know how she would react to this. I had no one else to call.

“Hello,” she answered. “Mom?”

“No, sweetheart, it’s Hunt.” I cleared my throat. “I, uh, got into something downtown and I need your help. I didn’t want to call you, but I don’t have anyone else.”

Silence met me on the phone for a long time.

Fuck.

“Hunt,” she sighed. “I…I don’t do shit like this. Not for no man. I swear to fucking…” she sighed again. “One time. You hear me. I will not live my life like this.” Then she hung up. An hour later, they said bail was posted and when they released me, I saw her pacing in the front lobby.

When she saw me, she nodded towards me and turned to leave. I quickly followed her while calling her name, but she kept walking.

“Kizzy,” I called. “Would you listen?”

“Hunt,” she answered, but kept walking. “I do not want to even talk about it. Where is your truck?”

She said all of this with her back towards me until she got in the car. She didn’t even look at me. I didn’t realize I had stopped walking until she yelled, “Are you coming?!?”

The engine turned over in her car, as I guess she was ready to leave my ass.

I was already pissed, and I knew any further words would send me over the fucking edge. She ain’t ask for this shit and I ain’t ask for hers. Getting in the car, I slammed the door and told her where my truck was. When she drove up, she saw that my windows had been busted out and there were dents all in the vehicle. Like someone took a bat to it.

“Holy shit,” she gasped.

“Thanks. I’ll cash app you the bail money. I know you’re mad, but I ain’t go looking for this trouble, Kizzy.”

“Hunt, I really don’t want to talk about it, because this shit is triggering. Do you know how many times I had to bail my mom out of jail? Do you know that the local jailers knew me and would call me? Along with the bar. I ain’t doing it with her no more, nor a man. So, I don’t want to say the wrong thing. This ain’t the time to really talk about it, because it’s really raw. I do hope that you are alright. Do you have a place to take your truck?”

I opened the door because she was right. This wasn’t a good time and though I know it was triggering for her, I was the one that felt like shit.

“No, but you ain’t got to worry about it. I’ll figure it out.”

I closed the door, grabbed my gun out of the locked glove compartment, and went in the other direction. The truck was fucked, so it was no need in dealing with it that night. Instead, I grabbed a six-pack, went home and got drunk. I was more fucked up than I thought because I felt like shit the next day and then missed two of my classes. After the one class, Kizzy texted me, to see if I was alright. I told her I was fine. Then she called after I missed the last class, but I ain’t answer. On some level, I was still pissed. I know I needed to get over it, but that shit. Yeah, I was pissed.

A few days later, Kizzy called me back-to-back and the fourth time, I answered.

“Yeah?”

It was in the sob that all my alerts went off.

“Kizzy, what’s wrong?” I asked, pulling myself off the couch to stand. “Tell me.”

“I left class and ran into these guys. They said they were the ones that fought you. They asked if I’d seen you and they needed to settle a score. I told them no. Then the one guy, he said his name was Hitto. He got in my face and said, he wondered how my pussy really tasted because you’d lost your mind over me. He said that you punch him in the face the first time he offered to pass me around. Then he said, he also made the mistake of calling me a nigger and that was when you lost your shit…Hunt? Hunt? Calm down.”

My teeth were grinding, and I must have been growling over the phone.

“Where are you?” I barked.

“Still at school.” She answered.

“Get home, tell Tyrell to watch out for anyone coming in or around there. Make sure no one is following you and I’ll take care of them. This is not your fight.” I told her.

“Hunt, this is because of me. Is what has been happening? Is this a lifetime membership or something? This is all because of me. I can’t stand by and let you deal with this on your own.”

“You can and you will, Kizzy. These fucks don’t give a shit about you. Their issue is with me. It needs to stay with me. You hear me. Now do as I say, and I’ll see you tonight. Okay?” I told her, as I began making my way to the compound. It was close enough or I was mad enough to walk.

“Yeah.” She sighed.

“Sweetheart, just stay low. I’ll see you tonight. Okay.” I tried to reassure her.

“Okay. Be safe, Hunt.” She called as I hung up.

Hitto had lost his fucking mind, but he was about to understand the error of his ways. He’d always been a bitch, but apparently these bitches needed someone to lead them, and he picked up where I left off. That was cool, but to turn around and do this to my woman. I’d kill the bastard.

I pound on the compound’s door multiple times. “Open this fucking door,” I yelled loud enough for anyone to hear me.

There was movement inside, but no one immediately came to the door. Any other day, these fuckers would have the door wide open. Come one, come all. As long as you were a white man who took pride in his race and fuck everybody else’s. They took the shit away from us anyway.

Almost immediately as I had that thought, I thought of Malcolm X’s letters and what I had been learning in my African American Studies class. Not only did we take the Africans, but we stripped them to nothing.  That correction of my thought, almost had me turning around because this was the last place I should be. Fucking around with these hicks who weren’t honestly worth my time. I needed to move. Shit, I had to get the fuck out of this town. Even this state. This couldn’t be life.

The door swung open suddenly, causing me to remember why I was banging on the door in the first place.

Motherfuckers.

“Fancy seeing your traitor ass here?” A newbie squeaked.

I merely pushed past him, causing him to lose his balance and almost fall. Walking past his stupid ass, I went searching for one person.

“I’m here for Hitto,” I barked.

“Who’s asking?” Tanner chirped.

“A former friend,” I answered.

“Damn,” Tanner. Chuckled. “I guess it’s true.”

“I’d watch my mouth if I were you.” I raised an eyebrow and pointed to him. “I’m here for Hitto and Hitto only.”

A door opened and then I heard, “The problem is, we a brotherhood and if you’re here for Hitto, you’re here for all of us.”

This was with the President and Hitto standing next to him, looking like a smug bastard.

“No,” I corrected. “Hitto was like a brother even before I met you. I need to speak to him and him alone. Outside.”

This knocked the smirk off of my old friend’s face and a flash of sorrow crossed his eyes. I didn’t investigate it more, but I turned and walked outside while eyeing the newbie who looked froggy.

A minute later, Hitto came outside, let the door slam, and proceeded to fold his arms over his shoulders.

“Yeah,” he drawled and that was when I punched the shit out of him.

He fell into the wall of the building, then he turned around with a shocked look.

Before he could speak, I told him, “That’s for my lady. You got a problem with me, you address me. I left the club. She had nothing to do with it. You don’t know her, you don’t see her, you don’t confront her. You don’t even breathe in the same space as her. You got me. I swear on everything I will find you Hitto and beat the absolute shit out of you. Every single, fucking time.”

He clearly got his bearing back, because he looked at me and said, “What the fuck happened to you? You ain’t never acted like this before. Over some…” He paused and then said, “Over a woman. You’d throw our brotherhood. Me and you,” he clarified, “Over a woman.”

The look of absolute disgust disfigured his face.

“Hitto, I wish I could tell you. I don’t know. I’m just getting older, learning more, and I ain’t that guy no more,” I pointed to the compound. “I fell in love and the more energy I put towards hating people, it’s now towards the woman I love. Fuck, I don’t know, but what I’m not going to do is throw away something I never felt in my life for some shit, that is more exhausting than it is uplifting. It’s so much shit, that I just didn’t know. And Hitto, for the gotdamn record, I don’t have to explain a fucking thing to you. I’m grown. I don’t have Eagle in my ear, spreading his shit. Seriously, dude. If you keep focusing on the same shit, you’ll always see, smell and taste the same shit. Yeah, I’m taking classes. Yeah, I’m with a black woman, and guess what, she ain’t a Jezebel. She getting her shit together just like me. She gets mad when I do dumb shit. She just like any other woman but has a permanent tan and you know what Hitto.” I leaned in. “She loves me too.  You believe that shit. Piece of shit, like me. Confused and lost. She spending time with me.”

It was the most fucked up shit, I could even imagine. I guess what they say is true. There is somebody for everyone. All I knew is that Kizzy was for me.

Shaking my head at my old friend, I turned and began to walk away.

It was then that I heard, “I didn’t know.”

I came to a stop and turned to see Hitto still holding his face with that look of my old friend.

He repeated, “Man, I didn’t know.”

He shrugged like he didn’t know what else to say.

He didn’t say it, but what I did know was that he wouldn’t be bothering us again. If Hitto wasn’t leading the pack, nobody else had enough balls to fuck with me either. I was President of the club for a reason, as I had no fear. I had more than demonstrated that to the club, but my term was up and now that meant in more ways than one. I nodded at my once friend, acknowledging the unspoken words, and left.

My truck was in the shop, and they wanted a mint to fix it, of course. Usually, a guy at the compound would help us out, but I didn’t have that connection anymore. Quickly dressing and shaving, I got my ass an Uber across town to see Kizzy. I needed to make sure she was alright.

As soon as I got out of the Uber, the window shade pulled back and Tyrell opened the door.

“Heard Kizzy had some trouble. Heard you took care of it. Seems I mighta been wrong about you.” He nodded and moved out the way. I almost didn’t know what to say to the man who clearly cared about his tenant and her safety but had a good eye for bullshit.

“People change, Tyrell.” I told him. “I ain’t always believe that.”

I don’t know if he got my meaning, but I took the stairs two at a time, to see my lady. Knocking twice, I heard footsteps and then the bolts on the door came began to make opening clicking sounds.

I didn’t like that shit.

“Kizzy, sweetheart. You alright?” I cupped her face as I walked in her apartment.

“Yah, yeah. You?” She took a step back and looked at me. “Where did you go? Did you go there?”

“Kizzy,” I kissed her forehead. “I’m good. You won’t have to worry about them anymore. They will not bother you ever again.”

Her eyes grew wide, then she grabbed onto my shirt and asked, “What did you do?”

Instead of answering her, I kissed her head and moved her small frame into mine.

“Never again,” I told her. “I’m sorry about the jail thing. I’m not your mom, but as your man, I don’t ever want to put you in that position. Please forgive me.”

“Hunt,” she whined and held on to me tighter. “No, I’m sorry. You did this defending me. I’m sorry. My mom ain’t never defend me. She was too into her addiction. It drove her. She picked a man over me. That drove her. You were defending me. Fuck, I’m sorry.”

My head was shaking as she spoke, but her hold on me reminded me of what I said to Hitto. I don’t deserve her.

“I love you,” I murmured in her braids.

Kizzy pulled back and looked at me in awe.