by Renta
Master your thoughts—become a fox mentally and a wolf in the terms of observation. The fox is crafty, it knows when to be a predator and how to escape the reality of being a prey. The wolf, on the other hand, is bred from a pup to be a predator. Yet, it knows how to be one. The wolf’s most keen sense is his observation. Through observation, you’ll see the weakness of your bitch and or team. The smallest crack in your game will allow the serpents to slither through the opening that shoulda been closed.
It’s a known fact, wine ages with time—the longer it sits the more it rots! The more it rots the better it tastes. My nigga, sometimes good shit comes from bad thoughts. Even Abraham Lincoln knew that—that’s why he signed the Emancipation Proclamation.”
Chapter One
Betrayed
~Nutz~
“James Swanson—this is your final warning—turn off the vehicle—toss the keys and any weapons on your person out the window and step out of the car, cautiously. Get on your knees with your hands behind your head. Failure to comply will result in immediate gunfire—I repeat—failure to comply will result in immediate gunfire! You’re surrounded—there is no escape—"
Those are the words the agent spoke through the megaphone but in my head, I heard. ‘Get the fuck out the car so we can murk yo dumb ass, black lives don’t matter!’ Only thing I can think is there’s no way out. Exasperated, I laid my head against the steering wheel—all sorts of shit rushed through my mind. I wondered how many niggas locked up behind them bricks has sat in this type of situation and laid it down? I wondered how many of those boys vowed to hold courts in the streets rather than be judged by twelve? Thought after thought fired through my mind.
Destiny stirred beside me—the animal within me was telling me, I should put one in her melon and just go out legendary. But, on the other hand, this bitch maybe my only way out. I lifted my head up at the sound of the ghetto bird; two armed men stood locked and loaded at the doors of the helicopter as it circled around me.
“Wha—wha—happen?” Destiny rasped through split lips.
Her eyes were unfocused as the sounds of the helicopter intermingled with the fool still speaking through the bullhorn. She looked down at her exposed chest, the wire was snapped and blood tainted her skin. Once her eyes met mine, the bitch did some real white girl shit, she screamed at the top of her lungs. I pointed the tool in her direction and the devil spoke through me.
“Bitch, if you don’t stop all that pussy ass screaming. I’ma push your next daydream all over that seat,” I hissed, nudging her head with the barrel of the pistol.
The menace in my stare quieted the silly bitch. However, she knew I was ‘bout that action, so I ain’t have to repeat myself.
“I’m not gonna ask yo’ fake ass why you did it. I don’t even give a fuck. What I do need to know is what all they know?” Destiny trembled in her seat searching for answers. “You know what it don’t even matter, this what you gonna do tho—you ‘bout to get yo’ punk ass husband on the line. I’m talking like now, bitch!” Spit flew from my mouth as the cocaine in my veins heightened my senses.
Tears ran a race down her face as she wedged herself against the door and cowered in her seat.
“James, please listen to me—please,” she begged. “I—”
“Bitch, I’m not gonna ask you again. You set me up, fam! I kept it all the way ‘G’ wit’ you and you bit me. I’ve done all the listening I’m gonna do with yo’ fake ass,” I growled, laughing at my own stupidity.
Irony is a bitch, the same get out of jail free card, I used to get my brother out of a jam, is the exact same one putting the nail in my casket.
It’s crazy how lust can drive a man to recklessness. I was so busy trying to put my dick into something, that I allowed a snake to slither into my camp. I should have known shit was ‘bout to get ugly when the punk bitch wouldn’t give me the pussy. My thoughts were interrupted when Destiny reached for the door handle attempting to make her escape. I laughed harder as the child safety locks enable her plan.
“Let me out! Let—me—out—plee—please,” she broke down.
Like a maniac, my laughter stopped and my face became a mask of square fuckin’ business. “I usually don’t give second warnings but then again, I usually don’t let a bitch get one up on me either. So, the day is filled with new shit, huh?” I used the tip of the gun and wiped away a stray tear. “Look, Des, or whatever the fuck your name is—you got me in some deep shit and you ‘bout to get me out of it.” I used my free hand and reached over grabbing a handful of her hair, forcing her to stare at the predicament she caused. “It’s either that or I’m gonna sign those indictment papers them white folks gonna give me with yo’ blood! Either or—you gotta pay up. In blood or with your help—your choice,” I hissed.
Destiny looked at me wide-eyed, I could tell she was wrestling with her options. I understood what love did to this female and Destiny was just the pawn in a vicious game of chess played between good and bad.
“Destiny, you’re so blinded by your emotions for that pussy ass attorney. You can’t see that he doesn’t give a fuck about you. If he did, he never would have fed you to a hungry crocodile-like me.” Destiny struggled against my grasp, but I only held on tighter.
“Wha—what do you want me to—to do James? I mean—the—they have us surrounded. They know, I am here—they know you have drugs in this car and you’re armed.” Tears streamed down her face ruining her mascara. “Jus—just please don’t make this any more complicated than it already is. I don’t wanna see you get hurt,” Destiny cried.
Her words infuriated me, causing fire to ignite in my eyes and my finger to twitch on the trigger. “Call—your—husband! I’m not sayin’ it no more!” Lava spilled from my lips. I watched her shaking hands as she reached for her purse. “Don’t be stupid lil’ one you know I’m surgical with this shit, matter fact—”
I released her hair, reached over, and snatched the purse out of her grip. She jumped so high her head damn near hit the roof. I kept the pistol aimed in her direction, as I poured the contents of her purse into my lap. The sneaky mu’fucka had a .22 she obviously was going for if I woulda been dumb enough to allow her to. I picked up her phone and pushed the rest of the contents on the floor between my legs. I made sure to kick the pistol under the seat away from the desperate bitch.
I handed her the phone while laughing at the clown that had repeated the same shit about surrendering for the hundredth time. As if they were gonna let loose into a car with the Federal Attorney’s wife. The stupid mu’fuckas had to know I was onto her. I bet the pussy ass D.A. lost his head when I snapped the wire.
“Sa—Sa’Mage?” The sound of Destiny’s voice snapped me out of my thoughts.
I reached over and snatched the phone from her, without warning. “Hello—hello? Destiny, can you hear me, baby? The voice on the other end panicked.
“Hey baby I’m home,” I sang into the receiver.
The silence on the other end of the phone was profound. I took the phone away from my ear and glanced at the screen to make sure the line was still connected. The heat that exploded from the phone let me know he was in fact still there.
“You little piece of shit! You better not lay a finger on her or I will—”
I’m thinking yeah—yeah—yeah mu’fucka—how this cat gonna threaten a wild man with nothing to lose? “Shut, yo’ bitch ass up,” I screamed into the phone as spit flew everywhere.
I had already made up my mind how this story was going to end. May as well try the last card that lady bad luck had dealt me. “Yo’ bitch ass played a nice game of chess house nigga, but the thing you couldn’t have anticipated is the mind of a madman once self-preservation kicks in.” I turned my head slightly in Destiny’s direction to keep her in my eyesight. “Now, I know, you don’t give a fuck about this bitch. That’s one thing we got in common, but the difference between us is that you can’t show it.”
To show him how serious I was, I took the phone a
way from my ear, and backhanded Destiny with the pistol. Her hands shot to the newly open gash, as she screamed in agony. “You hear that—you hear that, house nigga! What I need you to do is get your boys to back the fuck up and let me through. Nobody is to follow me and once I am clear, I’ll drop yo’ bitch on the other side of the road unharmed and be along my merry way. If not—” I left the promise hanging in the air, so the sucka could come to his own conclusions.
I heard him as he took the phone away from his ear. Through the windshield, I watched as he walked over to a tall white cat standing by a van. A few seconds passed and what seemed to be a heated debate ensued. It went on for roughly two minutes. I watched as Kendricks’ put the phone to his ear in exasperation. The deep breath he took, told me I was not gonna like what he was ‘bout to say.
“Listen, James—I—I need—” No love resided in my heart as I cut him off midsentence.
“Naw, you listen, homie! You got twenty seconds to clear this bitch out or you can call the meat wagon and tell ‘em to make reservations for two cause this bitch is ‘bout to die, and after that, it’s gonna be some real John Dillinger shit.”
Destiny rocked back and forth and cried softly, as a river of blood poured from the gash in her face. “Now you can test my ‘G’ or save your wife, neither matters to me. Her life is in your hand's homie, think quick cause the coin is flippin’ in the air, once it lands on heads or tails your life will be altered just as mine has. I glanced over at Destiny and watched as she tried to stop the wound from bleeding. “Twenty seconds ain’t long, fam especially when life and death has to be determined somewhere between the numbers one and twenty.” I disconnected the call and focused my gaze on Destiny.
She rocked back and forth mumbling incoherently, she was so lost in whatever conversation she was having with herself, that she didn’t even flinch when the muzzle kissed the side of her head, that’s when I tuned into her words—
“Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want, he makes me lie down in green pastures—” Unbeknownst, to her the phone had just been picked up on the other end.
“Hello—hello—Swanson? Listen—I need more time—" Boom! The cannon exploded in my hands. Destiny’s scalp along with her prayers crashed through the passenger window. “Twenty,” I growled, into the phone before the car begun to shake from the numerous shots of high-powered artillery.
The last thing I remembered was my brother’s last words before he washed his hands with the game. “Mu’fuckas ain’t loyal no mo’, fam. Every bitch you’ve ever given your heart to will be in the wind, the very minute you sign your name on that dotted line. I’m telling you, fam! Let’s change the story, homie.” I shoulda listened to bro!
***
~Assata~
I once read that if you allow a man to choose arrogance over being humble, the true nature of his heart will spill from his tongue. I’ve learned that envy—jealousy—and greed was a poisonous concoction, and when a mu’fucka digest its essence, the infliction that comes along with its bitter taste is deadly. An enemy is a snake in the cage. That’s how it should be viewed at all times! See the serpent has been a man’s enemy since the day Eve gave her ear to a slick talkin’ nigga. The serpent, who told her the power of her pussy and caused her to sew fig leaves together to cover herself from the eyes of her very own man.
Yea—you can say that the man covered himself as well, but it was after Eve told him how powerful his dick was. See, this reversal of roles disrupted the natural order of things, so it introduced humanity to snake shit. It was the first recorded time a man ever snitched. Genesis 3:11-12—the first time a woman reflected her man—Genesis 3:13—the first time a man was introduced into his natural self—a God! Genesis 3:22/Psalms 82:6. The serpents game was so powerful, he reversed the roles between man and woman as, Eve lead her dude to not only defile his garden, but also his God!
The ones we allow to close, the family and friends we bring to the table to break bread with. The very ones we feel comfortable enough to fall asleep around, these are the most poisonous snakes that grace our castles. It’s cause they’re so close—so silent. This is the virtues of the serpent. Imagine having the very nigga you entrust your secrets to. The same man you’d sign ninety-nine years for, picture what it feels like to have that same cat cross you over a bitch or a few pennies. Imagine him aiming at your thinking cap over a misunderstanding he coulda got understood.
When you fuck with a nigga he deserves the benefit of the doubt, right? Can you boys imagine the woman you’ve taken outta tennis shoes and introduced to the appeal of stilettos? The woman that knows the combo to the safe. Yea, that same bitch you repped in front of the world—fuckin’ a nigga you consider family?
The thang that flows through your mind is. “How the fuck that happen?”
I’ll tell my G—when you forget about the last time you trusted a man? When you took the snake out of its cage and allowed it to crawl around the house. That’s how it happened—the last female you allowed into your fold that didn’t know how to control her pussy. That’s how it happened, fam. You allowed your vision to be clouded by the word ‘real’ and forgot the diamond necklace at home.
Yeah—the necklace is the scars that taint your neck from all the times suckas tried to slice your throat. The diamonds are the experience that comes with betrayal and costly mistakes. It’s always the ones we call friends that bite us, fam, but I guess if Sammy the bull could do it to Gotti anything is possible! Real niggaz get raw deals.
***
~Six~
Before my lower lips kissed the tip of his manhood something in Assata changed. I saw it, felt it. Before I could insert him inside of me, my equilibrium was stolen, and somehow it had become hard to differentiate between consciousness and subconsciousness. The motherfucker had just hit me like I was a fucking man! What the fuck? In the brief moments of trying to blink the disorientation and pain away. I couldn’t seem to wrap my mind around what could have possibly caused him to flip out like that. Assata stood over me with death in his eyes.
“Assata—ba—baby, what! What’s wrong?” I stammered.
The look of pain, betrayal, and clarity was a deadly melody exuding from his stare. He held up a half-smoked black-n-mild and my blood froze inside my veins.
“When did you start smoking wineberry black-n-milds, Six? I must have missed the memo or something lil’ one, cause I’ve never seen you smoke. As a matter of fact, it’s only one mu’fucka, I know that rock with these nasty sumbitches. The math equation I’m trying to break down shouldn’t equate the two of y’all in the same room together,” he growled, as he tossed the black-n-mild at my feet. “The only way that expression could even be politically correct is if I’ve been dancing with snakes and bitch I ain’t never been a fan of reptiles unless they were on my feet.” He reached down and grabbed a handful of my hair.
Assata yanked me to my feet, my scalp felt like it was on fire. I tried to get to my feet as fast as I could before the crazy son-of-a-bitch snatched a patch out of my head.
“A-ssaa-tta!” I screamed in an attempt to plead my case.
My back slammed against the wall, his hands wrapped around my neck and with the constrictions of a boa constrictor. Asphyxia sang its tune as stars danced before my eyes. My left eye stared down the tunnel of what must have been a 100-caliber pistol! Every word that slipped from his lips was punctuated with a different aggression.
“What—tha—fuck—is—up—Six?” His eyes were red as coals, I could see my funeral in his pupils.
“I—ca-can't—breathe,” I rasped.
Assata seemed to snap out of an evil induced vision, releasing my throat with an air of regret. Yet, he kept the hideous gun aimed at my head. As if the weight of the world was on my shoulders, I folded over and hungrily suck in a lungful of air. One never knows how precious oxygen is until they’re deprived of it. I felt like I was hyperventilating as a tropical storm raged through the small island on the left side of my chest and at ninety-nine mil
es per hour, it pushed itself up and out of me until a river raged down my face. My every mistake—my stupidity—the harm I’d done, it all busted out of me like water did the levees in New Orleans.
“I’m sooo sorry, Satta!” I never meant to hurt you, baby, I—I—oh my God,” I screamed, as regret shattered me into a million emotional pieces.
I love this man—deeply, but I had done shit to him, I knew we could never bounce back from. In hindsight, I could see the shit that drove so many females that loved a street nigga to the point of doing shit they never imagined. Assata backhanded me causing me to scream out, I held my face as it was stricken with pain.
“God ain’t got nothing to do with this, fam. If you knew me like you know, you know me—you better catch vomit at the mouth and give me the real.” Assata punched a hole in the wall as he took deep breathes. “It’s some nightmare on Elm Street shit going down. Ain’t trying to go to sleep and meet the Boogeyman,” Assata said, then grabbed my face forcing me to look at him. “This the bidness, ma—I ain’t fucked up about you giving the nigga pussy cause ain’t no rewinding that, but—”
“See, that’s why I fucked him,” I erupted. The look on his face became mask with danger, but he gave his undivided attention. “You’ve never given a fuck about me, Assata Lamar!” I threw caution to the wind and slapped his hand away from my face. “I gave you more than my pussy, dude. I gave you my heart and all I’ve ever been to you is a warm mouth to stick your dick in and a piece of convenient pussy!” Tears streamed down my face as I slid down the wall into a puddle of melted shame—hurt—and confusion.
In a hurricane of mixed emotions, I told him the absolute truth. For the next half hour or so, I gave him the closure he deserved. No matter how painful the truth was, he deserved it. Deep down, I understood that being an emotional creature caused me to do shit that didn’t justify the means. I shoulda never fucked his potna. I buried my face in my hands out of shame. I now understood that it did not get me retribution, only some good dick and a lower sense of value. Assata stood over me breathing hard.