Bad Apple - the Baddest Chick(50)

Supreme even brought misery to hard-up families by offering loans to tide them over. One terrified client of his was so scared, he hung himself after his $500 loan spiraled to $3,000. Sometimes the borrowers were paying more than $500 a week in interest. Supreme wanted his money and he wanted it fast.

Apple and Supreme soon became an item, the hood speculating and gossiping about her involvement in his operation, from corner to corner. She became the most talked-about girl, and when they didn’t see her at Nichols’ funeral several weeks earlier, they began to have their doubts about her.

Before long, Apple started doing some of the debt-collecting herself. Supreme taught her how to be hardhearted and not to let anyone slide out of debt, explaining, if you let one individual pass on a debt, then the others would be looking for a pass too, or a f*cking handout. He let it be known that he wasn’t running a charity case and had convinced Apple that anyone late with payment or refusing to pay was taking money out her pockets as well, which meant no new Gucci or Prada for her to style in, or no riding around in the drop-top Benz.

As August began, Apple became known as Supreme’s main chick around the way, confronting those that didn’t pay, like a pit bull in a skirt, carrying around a nickel-plated .22 and a small razor for any problems that sprung up in her line of work. She’d easily cut and pistol-whipped a few bitches that tried her, spreading her reputation on the streets of Harlem. Too bad, they chose to learn the hard way that she meant business.

With the women, Apple made it clearly known that there wouldn’t be any more sleeping off their debts with Supreme or any of his goons. Having to duck and hide from Supreme herself not too long ago, she’d quickly learned the tricks of the trade. They either had to pay up or sell their ass on the corners to pay back what they owed. No exceptions.

It was a new day, and Apple was at the top of the food chain for once.

When her cell phone rang, she hesitated before she answered it.

“Whaddup?”

“What’s up, this Cartier.”

Apple’s mood soured. “Where you been? I called you ages ago about Nichols.”

“I was shot, bitch. Me and my daughter, so I couldn’t get right back.”

Apple didn’t like the tone in Cartier’s voice, but knew better than to react. She’d already heard about Cartier’s run-in and how Bam had gotten murdered; the streets don’t keep no secrets.

“Oh, my bad. But you OK, now right? You and baby-girl?”

“Yeah, we good but I heard from Kola and you wildin’.”

“Fuck that bitch! She just jealous, that’s all.”

“Nah, I don’t get that from her. Kola said she was tossin’ up Harlem for Nichols while you went MIA. She said you let dick come between fam. The streets are talkin’ ’bout you and ’Preme, and so is Kola.”

“How you gonna take her side over mines?” Apple was spent. She thought she was closer to Cartier than her sister. “I can’t really talk over the phone, but the Nichols situation got handled. That was all me!”

“Look, we peoples, but fam is fam. You don’t go against the grain for no f*ckin’ body. Kola wanted me to come through to help her tie up a few loose ends, but I’m heading OT for a while, but wanted to touch base to make sure you and Kola would squash your beef.”

“Oh, no doubt. It’s ain’t that serious,” Apple lied.

“You sure?”

“One hundred.”

Apple couldn’t wait to hang up with Cartier and get right back to her empire. But she did make a mental note to readdress her feelings toward her mentor at a later date. She respected Cartier and all, but gone were the days that she’d let anyone—including Cartier—speak to her like she was less than a boss.





CHAPTER 19




It was the middle of August, and Apple hated that she had to collect a certain debt from someone, but business was still business, no matter who fell prey to their system. She waited patiently behind the steering wheel of her powder blue Benz with the top down and kept an eye out. It was late evening, and the block was quiet.

She sat back in her seat and took a few pulls from the blunt she was smoking. She exhaled, enjoying the way the kush worked itself into her system. The chick she was after had been ducking her and Supreme for weeks. Tired of the nonsense, she took it upon herself to handle the matter personally. She wanted her money, and she wasn’t trying to hear any excuses. With interest and the four points, the $900 loan had easily grown to $1,620, and Apple planned on getting back that money one way or another.

She toyed with the radio, flipping back and forth from Hot 97 to Power 105.1. She stopped at Hot 97 upon hearing her boo, Drake, singing “Find Your Love.”

Apple nodded, thinking about the time she saw him perform at Summer Jam with her friends, Ayesha and Mesha. But those were old times. Times had changed for her now.

She looked at herself in the rearview mirror and saw such a difference in herself. She felt she had matured more, and the diamond earrings in her ear made her feel like she was royalty.

A half-hour later, Apple shut her car off, locked her doors, and went into the building, where she took the elevator to the fifth floor. She thought maybe Mesha went into the building through the back, giving her the slip. She banged on Mesha’s door.

Ms. Thomas, Mesha’s elderly grandmother, answered. She was wearing a housecoat and clutching a wooden cane for support. “Hey, Apple. How are you?” she asked in her caring, gentle tone, her eyes lighting up on seeing Apple.