TIFFANY'S POV

After kicking the gun away from Nina,  literally kicking her ass out the door, then slamming and engaging the locks, Dre turned to me wide eyed, with an expression that clearly read, "I don't even believe this shit!"
I can't say I blame his incredulous countenance, because I witnessed it all and I don't believe what I saw and heard!
This bitch was completely off her rocker!
My head swam with details, facts, and some part of me was grateful for being somewhat of a first responder, in NICU.
It allowed me to detach myself from being a would be victim, to an actual witness.
Everything seemed to go in slow motion as we both quickly dress, and hold our breath, waiting for whatever was to come next.
There would be something, of this I had little doubt, because people that were as mentally ill as her, rarely went away quietly.
He comes to me and holds me, as my shaking is about chattering my teeth and my adrenaline response spikes.
I force myself to breathe normally, as I watch Dre go to the kitchen and come back with a bottle of Coke, urged me to sit, then hands me the bottle and asks me to please drink.
He's probably afraid I'll go into shock, and the sugar contained in this sweet confection would ward that off.

Less than five minutes had elapsed from him throwing that  bitch out, and as I drew a breath to say that I doubt we had seen the last of her, there came the undeniable sound of a car crash, the slamming of car doors, the pounding of running feet out on the busy street that signaled something was indeed amiss.
As if in slow motion, I felt rather than saw, Dre make a move towards the gun, that was all I needed to see, and I practically screeched at him, "Babe! Don't touch that shit!"
He turns to me and I can see his wheels turning as he processes my reasoning for screaming at him like a woman possessed.

"RIIIGHT" He says, and smacks his own forehead with a look of incredulity while continuing,"Prints!! Her prints are on that piece, and unless I miss my guess, we bout to be swarmed by the cops, medical personnel and detectives soon after."
He drops a kiss on my cheek, and thanks me for my quick thinking.

There's not a doubt in my mind that he was going to add his own prints by touching it!

He's just gotten back home to me a matter of months ago, and with his record, all we needed were his to be found alongside of hers.
He'd be booked before he could blink!

Whatever was on that gun, I knew it was a dirty as the broad who carried it.
Knew she didn't have the mental faculties, to have ditched it.

I get up, move to the mini blind, and look in dawning horror at the scene below us.

Medics have arrived, lending to this  the wails of the sirens, the sounds of the static of the officers two way radios, their voices carried to my ears.

I see them place Nina on a gurney, strap her to it, and load her into the rig.
"Methodist, this is unit 694 en route with a possible MVA in critical condition, ETA 4 minutes, PBA and standby.

There was a momentary hush after the sounds of the ambulance door slamming shut, and the engine turning over as it raced to the hospital, located 6 blocks from here.

And then...all hell broke loose!

I see the police start canvassing, taping off the block, and asking witnesses what it was they saw.

I know the moment that old biddy across the street says, while raising a pointed finger in this direction, that the lady came running out this apartment building, like the hounds of hell were nipping at her heels, and run directly into oncoming, rush hour traffic.
I know what she's saying, because I can read her lips, which is a strange obscure talent of mine.
Im just lucky it has come in handy now.

I see the officer tip his cap, and then begin to eat up the meager distance with his long strides.

I turn to Dre, and tell him its time to prepare, because the look on that cops face assured me, he wasnt just going to take the truth at face value.

He gives me a look, one that I know very well, takes a fortifying breath ...and then, the boys in blue are knocking!

DRE'S POV

I turn the locks and open the door, allow the Detective entrance and before I can say a word, he comes in and casts a shrewd look over the living area, his gaze lingering on the keys, then locking on the piece Nina had brandished at us.

He begins to question me about the koo koo bitch, asking how did I know her and letting me know, that he knew of my rap sheet, my incarceration and subsequent brotherhood with Sam, that I was in his employ and that his fiance had once rented the apartment upstairs.
Gotta hand it to him, this cat knew alot.

He also alluded to the fact that he knew this had been the site of attempted murder, his eyes sliding to just outside the still opened door, and lighting on the exact spot that  Mr. Gardinez damn near lost his life.

I know cops and know they are trained to take in everything both seen and felt, the body language of a person of interest, and even the ambiance and aura of any room they occupy.

I school my features and even though I know he's taking all of this in, I don't dare let my eyes follow his.
I have done nothing wrong, well nothing he knows of, besides getting tangled up with the wrong female.

Sam has been a law abiding citizen, a productive member of society, who's given felons, such as myself, that opportunity of gainful employment.

I choose my words with care, as I explain that me and my girl had been broken up, and I had met Nina when she was on the same running trail I ran every morning, on Kelly Drive, and that we had begun talking, found we had the same gym in common and that she began appearing at the same various places I was.
The detective listened closely and nodded when I explained that we began seeing each other, and that we'd gone out to several places.
I was clever with where I took this bitch too, I took her to church, a couple  revivals, because the ho needed Jesus, clearly.
I made sure I was seen with her in places that were well lit and populated.
The few times I had brought her here, I did so in broad daylight, where all my neighbors could peep it.
I never did more than give her a couple kisses and that was with Tiffany's knowledge, she was actually the person who told me to do it, to make the ploy more believable!
I told the man all of this, leaving out that it was all part and parcel of the ends I was trying to achieve.

I told him that Nina had begun to exhibit signs that she wasn't stable, that I had come home one night and found her on my doorstep, beaten up and mentally unwell, that I had allowed her to spend the night with me, and I hadn't touched her , had instead slept on the pullout while she occupied the bed.

I knew chics like her that would be hurt from someone and go to some jump offs crib, sleep with the mark and then go crying rape at a hospital.
Prisons are filled with brothas that scenario happened to, and if I lived to be a very old man, I never wanted to see the inside of another police precinct or cell as long as I breathed.

I told him that I had ended things with Nina the next day, after catching her going through my drawers looking for what, I'm still not sure.

I am a careful brother by nature, anything I have of any importance is locked away in a safety deposit box, at the bank.

A week later me and my girl had, by all appearances, gotten back together, and tonight we had been very occupied in making up, when Nina unlocked my door using keys I'd never given her, brandishing a weapon that I had never seen or touched, and that I had quite easily overpowered her and wrestled it from her by kicking her in the hand holding it.
I told him, that while I felt no fear of my personal safety, my girl being threatened was another bowl of cherries altogether, and that I would not, could not, allow her to attempt to harm the woman I love.

He was riveted by my tale, and I could see in my peripheral vision, Tiffany's eyes water when I admitted that I love her.
Damn, I ain't want her to find out like this, had planned on telling her for the first time tonight!

The Detective told me not to leave town, handed me his card, and allowed forensics in to come do their job.

They picked up the set of copied keys, bagged that and her firearm, dusted the doorknob for prints.
Im not worried anyone's prints but mine and Tiff's will be on there.
If all goes well...possibly Nina's too

I love it when a plan comes together!

All that I  need to do now, is wait on the team to run ballistics on that burner, go tell Sam and Nik, and possibly go book a room for me and my girl at a hotel, because I can see she's shaken by tonight's events, and even though she's not ever been a gangster, she belongs to me so that means, from time to time she'll both see and hear things that she's got to be trusted to never repeat.

Good thing I do trust her, or this, this could have gone so much worse.