A Hustler's Son

by T. Styles

  “Yes.”

  “If you really think it will work.”

  “I know it will, Keisha.”

  “Okay, I’ll do it. Thanks for being honest with me, Janet. I really appreciate everything you’re doing for me.”

  “No problem, sweetheart. Us girls have to stick together. Bye.”

  “Bye.”

  When she hung up, I walked to the kitchen and poured myself a glass of Grey Goose straight up, no ice. That chile is a complete idiot! I hated what I was doing to Kelsi by ridding him of Keisha, but we had too much shit going on to have any outside influences fuck anything up. One wrong person in our circle could mean our lives and I’d die without Kelsi. Don’t get me wrong, if Keisha was sharp I’d allow him to keep her, but look how easy it was for her to buy into the nonsense I fed her. Look how easy it was for her to talk to the cops and give info on her own boyfriend. She was too naive and she couldn’t be on Kelsi’s arm if I had anything to do with it and I did!

  Besides, after killing Jarvis, I mean, Delonte, I made preparations to move the weight I knew he had with some connections I made from working at the hotel. A lot of big time dealers ran through there and most of them wanted ass and my number. I did what I wanted to do on the side but for real I was keeping numbers just in case I re-entered the game and I was glad I did. I duplicated the list and gave the other to Kelsi. I never knew when it might be valuable to him.

  Now that Kelsi told me he couldn’t find anything in Delonte’s house, I ain’t know what my next move would be. I knew whatever I wanted to do now I needed dough to do it. Hell, I had over twenty grand in the past two weeks, which is more than I would have made in a year as a housekeeper and already I wanted more. I had even contacted the man who saved my life five years ago because I knew he dealt in big weight. With the money I made from my connects, I was gonna flip it with him but now I ain’t have shit.

  Hating how my clothes felt against my body, I took off the shirt I was wearing. When I did, I accidentally rubbed my hand over the wounds where the gunshots entered and exited my body, a constant reminder of my ex-boyfriend, Jarvis. I was reminded then of my own greed and passion. I always lied to Kelsi about my wounds, never wanting to reveal the awful past. I should have ignored all further urges to get into the life again but instead, I looked at my wounds as a reminder of not to do next time.

  Even though it happened years ago, I can remember every word they spoke, while I lay hidden in the back of a stranger’s car.

  FIVE YEARS AGO

  “What up, man. Where you going?” Jarvis asked as he approached the man who saved me and stood directly behind the truck that concealed my bullet-ridden body. Their voices were so close, I could tell that all they had to do was glance in the window of the truck and they’d see me.

  “Who the fuck you talking to? Don’t fucking ask me no questions!” The one who saved me yelled.

  “It’s cool I’m just fucking with you. We were supposed to be meeting you in the building but you weren’t there,” Jarvis responded.

  “Yeah. I was out here handling other business. So what’s up? You got my shit?”

  “Look, we got it but we have to take care of some other stuff first. We ain’t want you thinking we were bullshitting,” Jarvis said.

  “Well I think you are bullshitting me, nigga. You betta not be fucking around with my cash again. Not even Kyope would stop me from the shit I’d do to you!”

  “Easy, man. I thought that shit was squashed.” Jarvis was playing and I could tell it was pissing him off.

  “Stop playing with me, nigga! I’m not your bitch! You tell me to meet you here and you ain’t got my money or my product. Don’t fuck with me, Jarvis, cuz I ain’t in the playing mood.”

  I lay there under the blankets barely moving for fear that they would see me, for fear that some shit was getting ready to kick off and all of my chances of going home would be lost. It would be like winning a million dollars and having it taken away. I needed to go home but anything could happen now. Jarvis could rob him, take the truck, find me in the back and succeed at finishing what he started, killing me. Or a stray bullet could hit me and I could bleed to death. Bleed. I was already bleeding. I bent my chin down and saw my blood all over the place. I know just as much was outside as it was inside. I wondered how far my blood trail reached before the one who saved me put me in the truck.

  Still, I was amazed at how he managed to put Jarvis in his place. Maybe Jarvis feared him and didn’t want no beef, because it was unlike him to take the back seat while niggas gave it to him. Jarvis always had the upper hand and at times, he was hot tempered.

  He once killed a waiter at our favorite restaurant because he brought him the check without Jarvis asking him to. He told me it was embarrassing because bringing the check earlier made him feel that his business wasn’t any good. I agreed in his presence, although I didn’t feel that way in my heart.

  “I ain’t fucking with you.” I could sense in Jarvis’s voice that he reached the limit. I was afraid of what might happen next. It was obvious that the strange man didn’t like Jarvis and Jarvis ain’t care for him either. There was silence for a minute and then Jarvis said, “You right, man. I got some shit I got to do real quick but all your shit will be here before you slide back to Maryland. Let us take care of wha –”

  He interrupted Jarvis. “I need another excuse like I need another asshole. Bring my shit tomorrow night, same time, same place.”

  Without waiting for a response, he jumped in the trunk and we drove off.

  For the first time since he put me in his truck, I took a deep breath and passed out.

  CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

  SEPTEMBER 28th

  WEDNESDAY, 7:45PM

  JANET

  I had too many people around me who weren’t down for me like I was down for them. I was determined not to make the same mistake twice or allow any outside influences in our lives that could possibly ruin things for us. I had already begun to clean the slate starting with Jarvis, I mean Delonte. Next it would be Lakeisha and then Bricks if I had to. In my mind, anybody in the way would be a target; therefore they had to be eliminated.

  I walked over to the couch with a drink in my hand and grabbed my cell phone. I needed to call the one who saved me five years back because he was waiting on my call, then I remembered what Delonte said before he took his last breath. “I have to tell you some things. It’s about Skully.” I quickly put them out of my mind because scared men told many lies.

  All I was thinking about now was the call that needed to be made. I told him I would give him any weight and money I had from Delonte in exchange for a larger load but here I was, calling him to say I couldn’t come through. To me my phone call would appear as if I weren’t capable, even though I knew I was. I have secret medals all on my jacket from the work I put in over the years. Still, coming to him empty handed was unprofessional and worthless but telling him nothing was even worse. I took two deep breaths before making the call.

  One…two.

  “Hey, it’s me, I couldn’t find shit.”

  “Where you calling me from?” He asked directly, which sent shivers down my spine.

  He wasn’t much on introductions, so I made sure not to give him any.

  “My cell,” I answered with the same serious tone.

  “I thought you said it was a sure thing. I thought you said you knew exactly where the shit was.”

  “I did, but somebody who shouldn’t have, found it first. I got fifteen right now, you think I can get a key?”

  “J, why you doing this?”

  “Because I’m tired of my son living around here. Plus shit’s getting hot for us.”

  “You better be sure before crossing this line with me. I mean, right now we cool. Outside of doing a favor or two for you, we don’t really interact but if you fuck with my money or me, I’ll kill you. Do you understand what I’m saying?”

  I thought about his question carefully before answering, knowing once
I got in, there was no turning back. “I understand and I won’t fuck with your shit cuz I know you. I would have never come to you unless I was ready. I ain’t no stranger to this lifestyle.” I reminded him then downed the rest of my drink.

  “Yeah but you a stranger to this lifestyle with me. I’m telling you that although I saved your ass from Jarvis that night, if you cross me, I’ll act like I never knew you. So again…are you sure?”

  “Yes.” This time I didn’t hesitate. It was all about Kelsi.

  “I still don’t get why you wanna do this?”

  “You know what Jarvis told me the night he was about to kill me? He told me nobody has heart when they’re dead. That was his response that night because I told him that even if I died, I’d still have more heart than him.”

  “But why this?”

  “Because I believe you don’t pick the life you lead, it picks you. I’m a hustler and I always will be. Wearing a waitress or housekeeping uniform didn’t change shit. So when Jarvis said you don’t have heart when you’re dead, I told him that was bullshit because the soul lives on! If I have enough heart to take a man’s life and to protect mine at all costs, unlike his punk ass, who was willing to give me up to save himself, I believe that I’ll have the same heart when I’m six feet deep!”

  “Heart or not, I still don’t get why you wanna jump all in now when you’d be ok living like you have been for the last five years.

  “Because okay’s for regular people…I’m not regular. I fucking love the streets. It’s all I know.”

  “You don’t want this with me. So I’m gonna ask you one last time, why are you doing this?”

  “No, you tell me why you saved me!” I sounded a little bolder than I should have but this was a question that I had wanted to ask for years. Not only was this man the only reason I’m breathing now but he was the most vicious mothafucka I knew. He didn’t have to hide me that night in New York when Jarvis, tried to kill me. So why was I here? Whenever I asked him in the past, he’d avoid the question.

  “I don’t answer mothafucking questions, I ask them.”

  “Well I want you to answer this for me! Please”

  Silence.

  “I ain’t trying to disrespect you. You know that, but I believe you saved me because although I told you they were trying to kill me because I helped set up Kyope, you knew I had heart and you knew that one day, you could possibly use me. You saw the honor and the code of the streets all over me. I’m ready now! Not tomorrow, not yesterday, but now! All I’m asking is for you to give me a chance. Put me back out there so I can take care of my son and give him what he deserves. I’m tired of working these nine to fives for nothing. Please.”

  He was silent for five seconds before saying, “Get more cake and then we can talk. That’s how I’ll know you’re really ready.”

  He hung up.

  I smiled because I realized that I was finally right about him. He was about to put me out there because he knew I was ready. In the past, he was always so secretive and every time I thought I knew him, I found out I didn’t. Like when we first came to The Woods, I thought he would at least make sure we had food and furniture. He knew I ain’t have money to buy shit but he let me and my son lay on that floor until Delonte came. Four months later, I opened the mail and there was a strange looking envelope amongst all the other shit. I carefully opened it and inside was three thousand dollars with a note saying, “I help those who help themselves.” I guess getting a job showed him I wasn’t dependent. I knew then that he was deeper than I thought.

  When the phone rang I lifted it to look at the caller ID and put it back down when I saw it was Delonte’s mother again. She’d been calling everyday bothering me about where Delonte was and if I had heard from him. She thought I had something to do with his disappearance and felt by calling me every day, she’d break me down. Yeah right! I was beaten, shot, raped, framed and thrown in the trunk of a car. Surely I could take a few phone calls from his wretched ass mother.

  I was lying up against the sofa, trying to get comfortable when I heard three aggressive knocks at the door. The knocks sounded different from any I’d ever heard on this door before, but not different from knocks I’ve heard in the past. They sounded like whoever was doing it, felt they had the authority to. Damn! The cops!

  Shit! I was pacing the floor trying to think. I sat down when I realized it wasn’t helping. If I didn’t answer it, they were gonna keep coming back. They probably already ran the plates on every car out front, including the Acura I just bought at the auction with temporaries on it. They knew that I was here. The knock was loud enough to wake me if I were sleep. It was steady enough I could hear it in the shower through the running water, so not answering it wouldn’t work.

  I ran to the counter, reached in my purse and grabbed a piece of gum. I was chewing it for blood. Shit! Shit! Shit! I forgot that gum only intensifies the smell of alcohol but what am I worried about? I’m at home! Some things I learned in the streets were starting to come back, when I didn’t need them to. There’s one thing I’d never forget, no matter how much time passed, that was the law. I brushed myself off, took two deep breaths and calmed down.

  So with the confidence and arrogance I felt, I shouted, “Who is it?” I gave just as much authority as he did when he was banging at my door but more because this was my mothafucking house.

  “It’s Nick, can you open the door please?” He used his first name to convince me that he wouldn’t be like the other cops I’ve known in my past. I knew it was bullshit because I just ran that same game on my son’s girlfriend a little while ago.

  I stood on my tippy toes and saw it was a black dude, dressed in jeans a clean white t-shirt with his badge dangling on his neck. I couldn’t tell how tall he was until he backed away from the door and moved closer to the one across the hall. He was about six feet tall and looked more like a model than a detective but I ain’t give a fuck. I wasn’t fucking him.

  I opened the door with the chain still on it and said, “May I help you, Nick?”

  “I’d like to come in, Ma’am. We really need to talk.” He said with a meaningless smile.

  “No.”

  “It’s very important.”

  “I can hear you perfectly fine from here,” I said as I mirrored his same smile with the same intensity. “So what do you want and please don’t run game. I don’t have time.”

  “Ma’am, I don’t think you want your neighbors in your business. It would be in your best interest for you to allow me to come in so we can discuss this more privately.”

  “Why would it, Nick? You have probably knocked on every door in the building anyway. I’m sure my neighbors already know, what you claim to be my business, although I don’t know how true that is.”

  “That’s not true.” He lied.

  “Nick, please,” I said growing, bored with his games. “My son’s girlfriend told me ya’ll came around, so what you want with me now?”

  He took a deep breath, clearly feeling defeated at my attitude and unwillingness to help him. Good. I had all intentions of wearing him down before he did me.

  “I find that people who are uncooperative have something to hide.”

  “And I find that men who act like pussies are a complete waste of my time. I’m straight, so give it to me that way.”

  “You want it that way?” He asked as if he was threatening me.

  “I want it that way!” I retorted as if I dared him to bring it on.

  He took a deep breath and said, “Okay, where’s Delonte Knight, Ms. uh…” He looked in his pocket and pulled out a folded piece of paper. “Ms. Stayley. Where is Mr. Knight?”

  “He ain’t here. So what’s your fucking point?”

  “My point is, there’s a lot of shit taking place in this unit. A boy was murdered and he appeared to have some type of affiliation with your son and now I’ve been trying to reach Mr. Knight and have been unsuccessful. That’s odd considering Mr. Knight has been very helpful to
me. I mean, if your son knows as much as we think he does, your defensiveness would make sense.”

  “My defensiveness should make sense because you’re getting on my nerves.”

  “And why is that?”

  “Because you haven’t said shit! Ya’ll have been back and forth over here and haven’t said anything worth hearing.”

  “Well I’m saying something now. Do you have anything to do with the disappearance of Mr. Knight?”

  “Clean your ears because I’m only gonna say this once. I don’t know shit, I ain’t seen shit and even if I did, I ain’t telling you shit.”

  “Very ladylike Ms. Stayley. Very fucking lady like.”

  “Good. I’m happy you think so.”

  “I do. I really do but I hope you know that no matter what I find which may indicate otherwise, from here on out, my entire investigation will be against you and your son. You will take the fall for what I know you did to Charles and for what I think you did to Delonte. Trust me.”

  “Delonte huh? So you two are on a first name basis?”

  “What are you talking about?” He asked as he realized he should be calling him by his last and not his first.

  “You know exactly what I’m talking about. I can’t stand a dirty ass cop.”

  “Have a nice day.”

  “Fuck you!”

  When I closed the door, I leaned up against it and looked at my apartment. That mothafucka was on the take. I had a gut feeling that Delonte paid his ass to steer the investigation elsewhere, just as long as he remained safe. Now that I think about it, I remember him saying to someone on the phone, “As long as I’m good, let things be good.” Now I knew what that meant.

  I couldn’t believe the place I worked so hard to make a safe haven and call home for Kelsi, and me wasn’t safe anymore. I knew what Nick meant too. He was going to frame us, whether we did it or not. The thing is, Kelsi did murder Charles and we did kill Delonte. But so fucking what! We committed both murders in self-defense, but I knew no one in their right minds would want to hear that, no one!