by Meesha
“Noooooooo! Nooooooo! Not my baby, mane! I’m so sorry baby, I’m so sorry. I never meant for anything to happen to you,” he cried.
“Red, what the fuck is that? I know that’s not a head, is it bro?” I asked. Seeing the blood covering his fingers, I didn’t want to believe what I was seeing.
“They killed my fuckin’ daughter man! She didn’t have shit to do with none of this! She was only seven years old man!”
He turned the head around Tiana’s eyes were open and there was a piece of paper sticking out of her mouth. I reached down and took it out and unfolded the paper. Reading it to myself, my head fell to my chest as tears rolled down my face. Wiping them away I looked up at Shake.
“What is it, Floyd?” Shake asked.
“Them niggas sent a message and stuck the shit in her mouth,” I looked down at the paper again reading what it said out loud. “Ya’ll niggas thought we wasn’t gon’ find y’all after what was done. Well ya thought wrong! Ya took two from our side and now the count is nine for y’all. Whose next, bitches. You can’t hide in my city, remember that shit. Watch ya back!”
Red jumped up running to the bed. He snatched a pillow and shook off the pillow case stuffing Tiana’s head inside. He pulled his gun and checked the chamber as he put it back in his waistband. With his teeth digging into his bottom lip, the tears continued to roll down his face.
“They won’t get away with this shit! I’m going to my crib to check on the rest of my family, then I’m going to search all night to find the niggas responsible for this shit. If y’all rollin’ come on. If not fuck ya’ll!” Red said running out of the room.
“Red! Red, hold up man! We rolling with you, wait up!” I yelled after him.
Me and Shake ran behind him but he was in his ride and backing out of the parking lot before we could make it to the lot. I felt bad for Red because I knew how much he loved his kids. He was about to fuck something up and I didn’t blame him.
“Come on, we got to go find his ass before them niggas catch him out there solo. He needs us to have his back more than ever right now. They fuckin’ with babies and shit, that shit ain’t even fair,” Shake said as he grabbed his keys and left the room.
Closing the door and locking it, I jogged to my whip and pulled out behind Shake. I pulled my phone out and dialed Red’s girl, she didn’t answer the phone. Dialing Red I got the same results.
“Fuck!”
As I trailed Shake, I noticed he was heading to Red’s crib and that’s exactly what I had in mind. We pulled up to the complex and police cars were blocking off the intersection along with a coroner’s van. There were a lot of people lining the street, but I didn’t see Red amongst them. His car was nowhere to be found. Jumping out of my car, I walked up on a chic I’ve seen hanging around the youngins on the team.
“Yo, baby girl, what the fuck happened?”
“Damn Floyd, somebody is dead in there. I was just chillin’ with Kelly last night and she told me she was waiting for Red to get home. She’d brought the kids to my house to play with mine while we smoke a little. She didn’t have beef with nobody,” she said mugging me angrily. “Word on the street is, you and your crew killed Max. Is this retaliation for that shit Floyd?” she whispered.
“Don’t believe everything you hear and don’t repeat that shit again. If you don’t know what the fuck you’re talking about, stop spreading rumors. Has Red been through here yet?”
“Humph, I haven’t seen Red at all. You haven’t seen him?”
When I was about to answer her question, the door to the house opened and two bodies were being wheeled out. One was the size of an adult and the other was definitely a child. I knew Tiana was dead, I didn’t think they had killed Red’s whole fuckin’ family.
“I’m about to get out of here. Don’t tell the muthafuckin’ law what the fuck you just said to me, you could be next if you do,” I whispered in her ear. The fear on her face told me she wouldn’t be uttering a word.
“I’m about to get out of here, find Red. I have to get my ass to this prison to see Big Jim. We need a plan, my nigga.”
“Yeah, we do after this shit. I think we need to run up on them niggas, real talk.”
“How do you suppose we do that, Shake? Nobody knows where the niggas are since they left the team! That’s the upper hand they have on us. Ricio must’ve had this planned for a while because he knew everything about us and we knew nothing about them outside of what they did with us. This is fucked up!” I said slamming my fist into my hand. “They can’t hide forever though. Max’s funeral is coming up and I’m gon’ find out when and where it is.”
“That’s when we gon’ have to strike. In the meantime, I’m about to ride the streets and see what I can find out. I’ll keep you posted and tell Big Jim I said what’s up. Watch ya’self out here, big homie, these niggas are reckless.
I shook up with Shake and made my way back to my ride. Thinking about what happened to Red’s family, I drove down Madison Street. I continued trying to reach him but he still wasn’t answering. Red was not one to not answer his phone and that alone worried me. His mindset had to be on going after Ricio and Sosa. Dialing up Shake, I listened to the phone ring before he answered.
“Yeah.”
“I’ve been blowing up Red’s phone and he’s not answering. Find him, fam,” I pleaded.
“I’m rollin’ to the first spot now. I’ll keep you posted, he’s all good Floyd. This shit is fucked up and we will strike back. Keep yo’ phone on, if you don’t respond I will leave you a message. Check ya shit once you come out of the prison,” he said hanging up.
The phone was still in my hand as it rang again. I glanced at it quickly before answering. “What’s up youngin?”
“I need a hit, Floyd. You got me?”
Nihiyah was Shake’s dip off and she came to me whenever she wanted to get high. He didn’t know she was a junkie in the making but that wasn’t my problem. If she was paying, I supplied. It was all about the money for me. I would keep her secret as long as she kept the money coming my way.
“I can’t get to you right now, Nihiyah, you gon’ have to wait ‘til later.”
“Why can’t you meet me? I’m standing on the corner of Madison and Pulaski, I can’t wait,” she said loudly.
“Aight, I’m about ten minutes away. I need you to get in and I will let you out on the next corner. Have my money ready, Nihiyah.”
“Okay, damn!”
Hanging up on her ass I drove down Madison and turned the radio on to replace the silence that was smothering me inside of my ride. Shit was getting out of hand and I had to admit to myself, Reese’s boys scared the fuck out of me. They have proven that they in fact had the blood of their father running through their veins.
Nihiyah was standing at the bus stop like she said she would be and I pulled up to the curb and popped the locks. By looking at her, one would never know that she was a fucking base head. She was a chocolate beauty with long hair that flowed down her back. Her caramel skin was smooth and blemish free. Nihiyah had a body that women paid top dollar to acquire. With the way she bought the snow I provided, her looks would be history before long.
“How much do you want?” I asked as I pulled to the curb on Hamlin Boulevard.
“Floyd, I don’t have any money. What would I have to do to get an ounce from you, right now?”
“Bitch I told you I had some shit to do! Why the fuck are you wasting my muthafuckin’ time? Get the fuck out, Nihiyah!”
“I need some coke! I’m feeling sick without it, please!” she begged. “I can find out where Ricio is. You’ve been looking for him and can’t find him. I was going to tell Shake but he has been missing in action but I’d give you the information for drugs.
My ears perked up when she mentioned Ricio’s name. She had my attention from that point. I hit my turn signal and merged into traffic, making my way to the expressway. This bitch was going with me and she would tell me everything she knew.
&
nbsp; “Get to talking before I push yo’ ass outta this car, Nihiyah.”
“Give me a little bit to take the edge off first.”
“Bitch you ain’t getting shit until you can prove you know some shit,” I said angrily.
“Okay! Ricio fucks with my sister. She hasn’t been to her house since the drive by on 79th last week. I was the one that told Shake their location,” she bragged.
Nihiyah was a snake ass bitch to use her sister to help her man get at a nigga, but I’m glad she was working with us. “If she hasn’t been home, where is she living?” I asked.
“She’s been living with Ricio’s hoe ass. I don’t know why she is with him because I saw him the other day with another bitch. That nigga put his hands on me and this is my get back, I bet he won’t touch another female.”
“So, that means you know where the nigga lay his head, right?”
“Nah, I don’t know where he lives. That’s something she would never let out. Me and my sister fell out Saturday so she may not talk to me for a while, but I don’t give a fuck. What you will have to do is follow my sister to get to Ricio. She works at the Illinois Department of Human Services on 80th and Cottage Grove. Nija’s best friend Kimmie is another way to get to her too. She lives on 92nd and Sawyer. Make sure y’all kill Kimmie’s ass for me! I can’t stand that hoe. She told my mama I used coke and it wasn’t her place to tell that shit.”
“Well you do use coke, own up to your drug of choice, baby girl. You gave me a lot to work with so here you go,” I said giving her a baggie of coke. “I’ll give you the ounce on our way back. Go ahead and do yo’ thang, we still got about an hour to go before I get where I’m going.”
Nihiyah snorted the coke straight from the bag and threw her head back after every toke. She was too pretty to be doing that shit, but who was I to tell her to stop. I drove while listening to the radio and she was out minutes later.
I took the empty baggie and threw it out the window and continued on my way. when I pulled up to the prison Nihiyah was still sleeping soundly. My first mind was to leave her ass asleep but I didn’t want her to panic when she woke up. Nudging her awake, she rubbed her eyes and glanced around confused.
“What are we doing here?” she asked.
“I have business to take care of. Sit tight until I come out. You can’t come in with me because you are not on the visitor list and you won’t be allowed in. It won’t be too long so just chill until I come back. Shit, take yo’ ass back to sleep. I know what’s in my shit, Nihiyah. If I come back and you’ve touch anything and I do mean anything, I’m killin’ yo’ ass and dumpin’ yo’ body in one of these corn fields. Don’t fuck with me,” I warned her.
“Aight! I won’t. Hurry up though.”
Opening the door, I got out and walked to the entrance. As I neared the counter there was a fine ass bitch sitting in a chair smiling down at her phone. She looked up and stood when she saw me approaching.
“May I help you?” she asked.
“Yeah, I’m here to see James Carter,” I said with a smile.
She tapped on the computer and scrunched up her eyebrows. “Um, Carter visits are on Wednesday, sir. You would have to come back tomorrow,” she said as she looked up at me.
I looked at her name tag and it read ‘Smith’. “Miss Smith, this is an emergency and I wanted to inform Mr. Carter of a death in the family. Is there anyway you can make an exception this once?”
“I’m afraid not, sir. Rules are rules, there’s nothing I can do to overturn what’s in place.”
“You mean to tell me that I’ve drove two hours for nothing! This is bullshit.”
“Sir, I don’t know what else to tell you. All I know is, I can’t let you in to see him.”
Pacing back and forth for a couple minutes, the door to the prison opened and in walked Nihiyah. I hurried toward her and glared down at her. “Didn’t I tell you to stay yo’ ass in the car? Why can’t you follow simple instructions?”
“I had to use the bathroom,” she said looking around me. Her whole demeanor changed and I had to see what had her attention. I turned around and Officer Smith was mugging Nihiyah too. “Bitch, if you wasn’t behind that glass I’d beat the shit out of you!” she screamed trying to move toward the counter.
Grabbing her by the arm, I pushed her out the door. Turning back around I yelled thanks to Officer Smith and guided Nihiyah’s crazy ass to the car. She had lost her mind acting the way she had in a prison. I was already pissed because I came all the way out there and didn’t get to talk to Big Jim.
“You do know that’s a prison, right? Why would you show your ass like that in there, Nihiyah?”
“That’s the bitch Ricio was with the other day! She’s fuckin’ with that nigga and I’m beating her ass because he was defending her stupid ass when he hit me!”
“Get the fuck in the car before you get locked the fuck up,” I said as I opened the door and shoved her inside.
The wheels in my head were turning a mile a minute and I couldn’t wait to get Nihiyah’s ass out of my car. Miss Smith was going to get us even closer to Ricio. With the information that Nihiyah spilled as well as knowing the connection with Miss Smith, Ricio and his brother were living on borrowed time. Big Jim was going to be happy to hear that this shit was almost over.
Chapter 13
Ricio
Nija has been acting very standoffish with me. I didn’t take her seriously when we were at Beast’s house but I guess she showed me just how serious she was. Today is Wednesday and I hadn’t talked to her since Saturday. When I texted, she left my black ass on read and I didn’t like that shit at all. Every time I called, I got her voicemail and I refused to leave a message. She wasn’t about to replay the shit I would’ve said to her friends.
I had to get all the information from Sin about Max’s funeral arrangements and that pissed me off because Nija usually kept me in the loop about any and everything she had going on. The bad part about it, I don’t even know why she’s even mad at me. Thinking about the shit between Nija and myself, I missed the turn I was supposed to take to the warehouse.
After bending the block, I parked out front and got out of my whip. Letting myself inside, I could hear voices of several members of our team. The ones that stood out were those of Rodrigo and Psycho. Following the voices, I rounded the corner and saw the two of them in each other faces. Beast looked in my direction and shook his head. I knew he didn’t want me to get involved.
“Nigga, you ain’t got in touch with yo’ bitch ass daddy since the last time I saw yo’ ass! That shit sounds real suspect to me. Any other time that old bastard would be front and center when you needed him! Explain it to me like I’m a two-year-old, Psych. Where the fuck is Rod, nigga?”
“Sosa, I mean Rodrigo, I’ve been calling him and going by the crib, he ain’t been there. I don’t know where he at! Don’t stand here like I’m lying to you. So, you can get the fuck outta my face before we have a muthafuckin’ problem!” Psycho said stepping back a little bit.
“Nigga, ain’t shit but space and opportunity in this bitch! That pussy you call yo’ daddy had part in my family affairs and he will get dealt with. Do I think you are covering for his ass, I sure in the fuck do. At this point, I don’t give a damn how long we’ve been kickin’ it. Blood before mud is my motto and you ain’t proving that you’re innocent in this shit right now.”
“Man, fuck you! I don’t—” Psycho couldn’t finish what he was saying because Rodrigo hit him hard as fuck in his mouth.
“Fuck me? Fuck me! Nigga, I will end yo’ muthafuckin’ life, Psych!” Rodrigo said charging at him full force.
I grabbed my brother by the back of his shirt so he couldn’t get to Psych. He spun around and pushed me in the chest. Standing my ground, I stared him down as he stood huffing and puffing at me. Sosa knew not to go against me, but Rodrigo was another story.
“Are you choosing this nigga over your own muthafuckin’ brother? You already know that I don’t
care whose ass I beat, it could be yours. Anybody can get this work, I don’t discriminate. I think you better be your brother’s keeper before you force me to send for the reaper,” he said stepping in my face.
“Brah, we ain’t about to go there. You already know how I get down, I will beat yo’ muthafuckin’ ass up in here! I’m not one of these niggas in the streets, I’m a third of Maurice Williams! It would hurt for me to kill my own brother, but don’t push me. Give this nigga a chance to get at his daddy is all I’m trying to get you to understand. We have a funeral to attend and all you can think about is killin’ muthafuckas. Let that anger out on the niggas on the other side, we about to go shed some blood right now. We ain’t killin’ our own.”
Rodrigo turned to Psycho and grinned at him, “You got saved by the bell, punk. Only because I respect my brother and not to mention, I get to kill some more of Big Jim boys,” he laughed. “It still stands though, you will die if I find out you are a mole,” he smirked before he gave his attention to Beast.
“Now that y’all are finished beating ya chest, I can tell y’all why I brought you here. We will hit as many traps that belong to Big Jim and his crew into the wee hours of the morning. Kill any and everything moving in all of them,” Beast said raising his voice with every word.
“Remember, we are not going in for drugs. We will only get the money that rightfully belongs to Reese,” I said looking around the room. “Rodrigo, that does not mean, shoot Psych by accident.”
“If I shoot his ass, he will know it’s coming. I’m not about to sneak shoot nan muthafucka!” he laughed. “For real Psych, you have to understand where I’m coming from with this shit about your daddy. Handle that shit, that’s all I gotta say. I’m ready to hit the road, my trigga finger's itching like a muthafucka,” Rodrigo said to no one in particular.