by Meesha
I wanted to slap the fuck out of Nihiyah because now my mama was going to be worried about me. Nihiyah sat eating without looking up, she knew she had just started some shit. I'd kept that incident from my mother for that reason alone, but obviously Nihiyah knew I hadn’t said anything to her about it.
“Earlier this week we were coming from the restaurant and some fools were shooting. We just so happened to driving down the street they were shooting on. They were not shooting at Ricio.” I said trying to downplay the situation.
“That’s not the way I heard it. Two people were killed that day and word on the street is Ricio did it. You can keep on believing the lies he’s telling if you want to. His truck gets shot up, then his brother gets shot days later. Open your eyes Nija. While you’re shackin’ up with his ass, do you know where he was earlier?” she asked with a sly grin on her face. Not giving me a chance to respond, she continued. “With another bitch, that’s where. If I hadn’t approached his ass, he would’ve had his tongue down her throat.”
“Hiyah, Ricio is free to do whatever he wants to do, he’s not my man. I don’t have to shack up with anyone because I have my own spot where I pay the bills, all by my lonesome. You should try it sometime, you may like it. Maybe then you could get the hell out of mama’s house. I don’t know what your problem is, but there’s nothing you can say to upset me. Right now, you’re acting like one of these young, jealous females out in the street. Getting mad about something a nigga is doing is what you do, I don’t have time for any of that. Another thing, don’t make assumptions about some shit you know nothing about, okay?”
“Hold up a minute. I want both of you to cut this mess out now! Nija and Nihiyah, watch ya mouths in my house.”
My mama was getting frustrated and I could tell, but her daughter was saying things that could get her killed. If Nihiyah was running off at the mouth to us, who knew what she was saying to whomever would listen in the streets. How did she know about the shooting that day? I wondered to myself.
“I’m sorry for cussing but your daughter is skating on thin ice. Nihiyah, where are you getting your information? We don’t know anything about the shooting and we were there. For you not to even be at the party that night, how do you know so much?”
“Don’t worry about all that, little sister. Just know, Ricio is gonna get what’s coming to him. He needs to realize that he is not his daddy, but he will end up just like him real soon.” Nihiyah said putting a small chunk of lasagna in her mouth.
“I know this don’t have anything to do with me—” Kimmie was saying before she was rudely cut off.
“You got that shit right. I don’t even know why you are always in my damn house!” Nihiyah said pointing her fork at Kimmie.
“Mama Pat, I apologize in advance. Nihiyah let me tell you something, I have never done anything for you to dislike me the way you do. It never seems to be a problem when you see me outside of this house and you’re asking me for money. But lately I’ve been telling you no so now you hate me. Since you have a lot of tea to spill, did you tell your mama that you fell in love with snow?”
“That ain’t your business, bitch!” Nihiyah yelled jumping to her feet.
“There’s no snow outside, Kimmie. What are you talking about?”
“She’s not talking about nothing mama! Bitch you better shut yo’ muthafuckin’ mouth right now!”
Nihiyah walked around the table and Kimmie and I jumped up. “Nihiyah, calm down,” I said stepping in her path.
“Move out of my way, Nija! This bitch is running her dick suckas and I’m about to close her shit!”
Nihiyah kept trying to get around me, but I wouldn’t let her pass. “Get the fuck out of my way, Nija!”
“Now, you want to fight because you in here trying to pop off and the tables turned on you! If you want to reveal some shit, reveal what you got going on, Nihiyah. Admit it, you have a cocaine problem. Your secret is out, what you gon’ do now?” Kimmie said not backing down from the daggers my sister shot at her.
“Is this true, Hiyah?”
“Hell nawl it’s not true! This bitch lying and I’m about to fuck her up!” Nihiyah pushed me and I had to stand strong in order to prevent her from passing me. They weren’t about to tear up my mama’s house. Nihiyah looked like a pitbull foaming at the mouth. “Lie one more time and I’ll kill yo’ stupid ass!”
My mama rushed over and grabbed Nihiyah by the shoulders and held her still. “Look at me, baby,” she said turning Nihiyah’s face towards her. “Do you have a drug problem? Is this the reason you had to move back home, Hiyah?”
“You gon’ believe this stank hoe over me? Do I look like a muthafuckin’ crackhead, ma? I’m beautiful as hell, ain’t no way I’m using any kind of drugs. Weed don’t count because it’s an herb and it gets me right. I would never use drugs, she is lying!”
“If I’m such a liar, how did I see you over on 63rd last week snorting coke at the party that Dro threw? You had on a pair of black jeans, a pink shirt and a pair of pink and black stilettos. Your hair was bone straight with a part down the middle and you were with Renee’. She was right beside you with a rolled up bill sniffing that white girl. You can keep denying it if you want to, but I have proof.”
“You don’t have shit!” Nihiyah screamed pushing my mama off her. Mama fell on the floor and I smacked the shit out of my sister. “Let me get outta here before I fuck one of y’all up,” she said snatching her purse off the couch.
Nihiyah walked past me toward the door but when she got to Kimmie, she hauled off and punched her in her mouth. My sister could fight, but she was no match for Kimmie. The punch didn’t faze her one bit, she came right back and threw a three piece hitting her target. Nihiyah’s head went back with every punch.
“That’s enough!” Mama had gotten up off the floor and grabbed Kimmie by the arm.
Nihiyah appeared to be stunned, but she lunged for Kimmie and I grabbed her. “Get yo’ hands off me, Ni! I got you, bitch!” She said pointing at Kimmie. “Tell yo’ man to watch his back, Nija. He is gonna be six feet under with the rest of his people soon,” she said walking out the door and slamming it shut.
I snatched the door open and went onto the porch. “What, you throwing threats now, Hiyah? What the fuck did Ricio do to you?” I screamed at her.
“He put his hands on me just like yo’ ass did, sister or not, yo’ ass on the target list too!” she said jumping in her car and pulling off.
As I walked back into the house, I closed the door and instantly saw the tears running down my mama’s cheeks. She was looking at something on Kimmie’s phone and she kept saying play it again. I knew then that Kimmie had the proof that Nihiyah was doing drugs.
“Ma, it’s going to be alright. Nihiyah is into something this time you won’t be able to get her out of. She was talking about Ricio and I are on her target list. I promise you, ma, if your daughter comes at me wrong, I’m fuckin’ her up. She is going to get herself hurt if she goes after Ricio.”
“I’ve tried my best to bring you girls up right. I don’t know what happened with Nihiyah. Drugs? What could’ve happened in her life to make her choose to put that shit up her nose?” my mama said crying.
“Shake,” Kimmie said.
“What?” I asked confused.
“That’s who she has been dealing with for a minute now. Nija, he is part of Floyd’s crew.”
My mind went back to the day Ricio’s truck got shot up. I had told Nihiyah where I was then she started an argument over money. She was the only person to know our location because I gave it to her. Hearing she was fucking with the enemy had me pissed.
“Who the hell is a Shake?” my mama asked whipping her face.
“He is a guy that is well known in the street, ma.”
“So, he is a damn drug dealer, huh? This Shake person is the one feeding her that bullshit! I can’t blame anyone but my daughter. I’m not about to raise my blood pressure worrying about Nihiyah. If she wants to waste he
r life dealing with that shit, she can do it outside of my house. I’ve learned that you can’t help someone if they don’t want to be helped. I’m going to have a talk with her when she comes back, then I will go from there. Heat up y’all food so we can enjoy this meal,” she said walking to the table.
I glanced at Kimmie’s phone and she handed it to me. Watching the video hurt me so badly because I never thought my sister would ever do any drug outside of marijuana. The thing that hurt me more was knowing she was the one who set Ricio up to be killed the day we were shot at. It put me in a bad position because I didn’t know if I should say something to him about it or not.
“That’s fucked up, Kimmie. I’m sorry my sister came at you like she did.”
“What the hell you sorry for? When I see her ass again, I’m fuckin’ her up. I couldn’t beat her ass the way I wanted to because your mama was here. But she is gonna get it. Watch yo’self because drugs will turn anybody against their family. Nihiyah is going to get herself killed out there. Don’t take her threats lightly, them niggas is out to get Ricio and Sosa. Keep all information away from your sister,” she said walking away from me.
I heard the text chime of my phone and went to get my purse from off the back of the chair. As I opened the message, it was from Sin.
Sin: Meet me at my house in an hour. Something came up, we can work from there.
After responding to the text, I looked through my phone trying to see if Ricio had called, he hadn’t. I tried not to think about the woman Nihiyah mentioned he was with earlier, but I couldn’t. Things with me and Ricio was going to be different after this funeral, I had to stand my ground with him. It would have to be me, or the other bitches. His choice.
Chapter 10
Beast
I never knew Sosa had another nigga living in his head. He was always the laid back, mediator in many situations. To see him transform into Rodrigo had my ass confused as fuck. What I was worried about was the fact that he wasn’t scared of shit. If anyone challenged me, they had to be crazy as hell. He did that shit though. I chose the high road and didn’t buck back at his ass. He would’ve died had he been anyone else.
We drove to the storage facility and it was stocked just like Reese said it would be. The whole crew helped load the truck and we headed back to the warehouse. The cleanup crew was still there waiting for us to return. As I looked around inspecting the work they’d done, I was satisfied with the results. I paid them and sent them on their way before we unloaded the packages.
With the trucked backed inside of the building, we used a couple of pulleys to transfer the dope to the storage room that only Ricio and Sosa would have the keys to. The room was insulated for this reason back in the day. I had some people come in to make sure it was good as new. Installing another safe was a must because I wanted Ricio and Sosa to have control of their own shit at all times.
My phone started ringing and I snatched it from my hip. Sin’s picture was on display and I answered it with no hesitation. When she started talking, I walked to the other side of the warehouse to talk to her. The shit she said caught me by surprise but I was happy too. I had to talk some sense into her ass because she was talking stupid as hell. I hung up from her and went back to help unload the truck.
Once we finished transferring shit, I locked the store room turning to both Sosa and Ricio. “These are the only sets of keys to this room. If something comes up missing, y’all would have to look for the answer between the two of you,” I said holding the key up for them to see. “This key is to the front door and this one is for the back. The automatic door only opens from the inside by the push of a button. I’ve had new cameras installed and it’s being recorded digitally. I will tell you which app to install on your phones as well as the passwords to get in. An alarm has been installed as well, if it goes off, each of you and myself will get an alert on our phones. Ricio is the only one that will get a call from the police. Now, I have a key to the warehouse and I had six more made because I know how close all of you niggas are. It’s up to y’all who gets a key or not,” I told them giving them the keyrings.
Ricio didn’t hesitate giving out the keys. When he went to hand Psycho his key, Rodrigo grabbed Ricio’s arm shaking his head slowly. “That nigga don’t get a key until he holla at his punk ass daddy. I know you and Sosa love his ass like a brother, but me, nah not too much. He gots to earn his muthafuckin’ stripes by proving he didn’t know shit about what his daddy did. I might have to kill this nigga real soon.”
“Sosa—”
“That ain’t my fuckin’ name, nigga! Rodrigo, muthafucka! Sosa ain’t in this bitch right now! The quicker you realize we are two different niggas, the better off you will be. Stop playing with me, man,” Rodrigo said with his nose flaring.
“Rodrigo, check this. We’ve been tight since we were kids, now all of a sudden you want to question my character? Where the fuck they do that shit at?” Psycho asked angrily.
“Nigga, Ricio and Sosa been kickin’ it with yo’ ass since the sandbox, I didn’t have shit to do with none of that. When my lil nigga got murked and yo’ pussy ass sperm donor’s name came into the equation, is when the red flags started waving in my muthafuckin’ head! That nigga is the reason Reese ain’t here today and you are the one that’s gonna take his ass out! If you don’t, yo’ ass will be in a pine box right beside that nigga because he gon’ die regardless,” he said walking up on Psycho.
“Rodrigo, hold on, brah. He knows what he has to do. You don’t have to come at him like that, he’s family,” Ricio said pulling him by his shirt.
“You can trust this nigga but I don’t! How the fuck did he live under the same roof with Rod's ass and didn’t know he wasn’t just a muthafuckin’ lawyer? He got to prove to me that his ass is just as hurt about my brother as I am. Until then, he don’t get a muthafuckin’ key! Plain and simple. Don’t go behind my back either, Ricio because the nigga will be deader than a doorknob if I see his ass in here by his lonesome. I put that on everything. Are we finished because I got shit to do?” When no one said anything, he took that as a yes. “Aight, I’m out. I’ll holla at y’all later,” he said walking through the warehouse to the front door.
I watched the man that I helped raise walk out on us without looking back. Sosa was distraught about losing Max but I didn’t know it would hit him like this. We had to get the law on our side quick because I had a feeling he was about to be on a whole other level around the streets.
“Ricio, we have to keep an eye on that nigga, he is on a rampage,” I said scratching my head. “Psycho, I’m not about to apologize for the shit that just went down. I’ve never met his ass a day in my life, but I think he is serious about everything he let fall from his mouth. We can’t take no chances with him, holla at your daddy and hear him out. You need to find a way to get all the information you can out of his ass.”
Psycho looked sad and I felt sorry for him. It was a fucked up situation for anyone to have to address someone they loved about street shit. If anyone else went at that nigga, he would know what was up from the gate, so we had to put the pressure on Psycho to get the job done. The life of a street nigga had its advantages and some disadvantages, this was a loss he had to eat.
“I’m gon’ do whatever it takes. I don’t how I’m going about it, but it will be done. If we’re done here, I’m gon’ head out because I got a lot of shit to figure out,” he said taking his car keys out of his pocket.
“Yeah, we’re about done. Keep ya’ eyes open, I’ll holla at you later, young blood.”
“Aight. Ricio I’ll talk to you soon, brah,” he said giving him a brotherly hug.
“Bet,” Ricio said slapping him on his back.
“Aight, y’all,” Psycho said to the rest of the team.
When he left, I looked at the remaining members. “If there is anything any of y’all want to get off ya chest, now is the time to address that shit. I know all of y’all are cool but this is the way that nigga is grieving. He is
rolling over anybody that tries to get in his way. Psycho has to face his daddy and we gotta wait for whatever news he comes back with.”
“I don’t think Sosa should’ve came at him in that manner, for real. We didn’t just lose max, Butta is gone too. We’re all hurting in different ways, I get that. He is coming on too strong right now,” Fats spoke up.
“What would you do if it was you on the other end of this shit? Sit there and do nothing? Nah, you wouldn’t. You would be in the same mindset as Rodrigo, so don’t say he’s coming strong, His ass is coming even harder now that his brother is gone. This is not the time for any of us to be in our feelings, walking around this muthafucka crying and letting shit blow over. It’s game time.” I had to see where these niggas heads were. If they weren’t on the same page as the rest of us, they could go the fuck on about their business.
“I’m not saying that he is wrong about what he said, but the way he went in on Psych wasn’t called for,” Fats said hunching his shoulders.
“I don’t think he was wrong,” AK said loudly. Every nigga involved needs to be dealt with, plain and simple. It’s fucked up that Psych’s daddy was in on this shit, but that’s the life he decided to live and none of them niggas thought it would come to light. Now, it’s up to us, and I do mean all of us, to make them niggas see complete darkness. Max was all of our brother, they gon’ pay. They gon’ pay.”
Everything AK said, I agreed with. He was right, we had to be in this together. I knew AK was all in, ready to make Precious clap. He would be the one that was down for whatever.
“What about you, Felon? You got something you want to say while we’re getting this shit out?” Ricio asked.
“I’m down for whatever. Y’all know that I’ve been riding for years and I don’t plan on stoppin’. I’m with AK, we ridin’ down on these niggas.”
“I’m all in until the wheels fall off. I know how Sosa—I mean Rodrigo is feeling right now. I’m feeling the same way. Rodney was there smiling in our faces whenever we went to his crib. For him to continue to act like he gave a fuck about Reese’s boys knowing he was the nigga behind the gun, don’t sit well with me. That is probably the same shit going through Psych’s head too. I think Rodrigo going hard at him is what he needed to get the wheels turning in his head about his ass. Do I feel it was the wrong move to make? Hell nawl! It’s part of the game, if he didn’t want to deal with the circumstances, he should’ve left this street shit alone when Rodney told him to. Now he has to put in personal work, it’s the life he chose to live. I love Psych with everything in me but, if he don’t handle that shit, he gots to go!”