Eviction Notice Read Online Free PDF Page B

open the exit doors of Macy’s and stepped out into the warm morning air. She was dressed in a loose-fitting business suit and lightweight Burberry raincoat that matched her heels and sunglasses. She had shopping bags in both hands, which made her stumble a bit, but she still made good time getting as far away from Macy’s as she could. She was thinking about hopping a cab, but with the way traffic was she would probably make better time on the subway. After burning down the stores on Thirty-fourth Street all morning, she was anxious to get out of Dodge.
    Frankie was a jack-of-all-trades, but her most lucrative source of income was boosting. It was a skill she had acquired at a young age from her now-estranged father. The old con would take Frankie to all the high-end fashion stores and let her explore all the aisles while he plied his trade. Frankie loved the outings and developed an early love for fashion thanks to her father, but not until she was older would she come to realize his motives for taking her. Security in the stores was less likely to watch a dad out shopping with his kid, so Frankie made the perfect front while he relieved them of their goods.
    The art of theft was the only thing Frankie’s father had ever given her, and she cherished and perfected her gift. Frankie could make it in and out of a clothing store in less than ninety seconds with hundreds of dollars’ worth of merchandise without anyone even realizing she had been there. She was a master thief and it made her very popular in her hood. If you wanted the latest in designer wear, you went to Frankie to fill your order; there was nothing she couldn’t steal. She had even pulled off a few armed robberies when the price was right, but there was less risk and less time in boosting so she mainly kept it to that.
    A police car bent the corner, causing Frankie to freeze. A lump formed in her throat when the officer on the passenger side looked up at her and studied her for a moment. A part of her wanted to bolt, but she played it cool and just smiled. The officer smiled, then tapped his partner and said something. From the way both of the men smiled, she could only imagine what kind of chauvinistic statement had passed between them. The driver’s attention was drawn to the squawking police radio and after listening for a few seconds they threw on their lights and sped off.
    “Jesus,” Frankie said, sighing when she finally released the breath she was holding. Clutching her bag a little tighter, she made hurried steps toward the train station. Just as Frankie neared her destination she spotted an SUV slowing down to keep in step with her.
    “Hey, baby, you need some help carrying those bags?” one of the vehicle’s occupants called to her. Frankie kept walking as if she didn’t hear him. “Come on, sweetie, don’t act like that. I don’t bite unless you want me to.” Seeing that Frankie still wasn’t receptive to his advances, he switched his tone. “Well fuck you then, bitch!”
    Not able to stomach the disrespect, Frankie spun on him angrily. “Ya mama’s a bitch, muthafucka!” she spat. She was looking for a bottle or something to throw at the SUV when she realized that she knew the vehicle and the young man hanging out the window disrespecting her. “Levi?”
    Levi’s squinted from behind his glasses. “Frankie, is that you? Oh shit. Hap, that’s Frankie.”
    Happy leaned across Levi and looked out the window. “Damn, that is Frankie. What’s up, li’l mama?”
    “Ain’t nothing. Where y’all headed?” Frankie approached the vehicle.
    “Shit, we about to roll uptown. Where are you coming from?” Levi asked, looking at all the bags. “As a matter of fact, I already know. What you got, ma?”
    “If y’all give me a ride uptown I’ll let y’all get first dibs,” she offered.
    “Shit, hop in.” Happy popped the locks. Frankie tossed her bags in the backseat and climbed in beside them. “Man, I didn’t even