A Staten Island Love Letter- The Forgotten Borough 2

by Jahquel J.

  “Where do we go from here?”

  “Hell if I know… I gotta make this run, but I’ll drop by when I’m done.”

  “We’ll be here,” she gave me a weak smile. I kissed her on the forehead and headed out of her room.

  The twins were nowhere to be found when I left the house. Priest was on the phone, but ended it when I got into the car. “Nigga, she done cloned you and Rain and made them older,” he spoke of the twins.

  “Shit be creeping me the fuck out. Head over to Messiah. I kept her waiting long enough.”

  “Word. You know she gonna have some words about it.”

  “When does she not? The woman went from having very few words to always having something to say.”

  “Except when she killing. She get quiet as fuck,” he laughed. “I don’t blame her for finding her voice. She got those two maniacs running around, she gotta have one to keep them in check,” he spoke of Mariah and Maliah.

  Messiah had three daughters. Mariah, Maliah and Munroe. They were all trained by her and ruthless as fuck. When it came to her daughters, she didn’t play about anything. She was able to sit back because her daughters were putting in the work for her. At eighteen, Munroe probably had just as many bodies as me.

  We pulled up to the white stucco house in Bulls Head. Priest killed the engine and we made our way around the back of the crib. Priest knocked and the door and Munroe opened the door. She smiled as she held the door opened for us. Munroe was her father’s twin. While Maliah and Mariah resembled Messiah with a hint of Rasheed. Munroe was her father’s exact twin. Messiah was from New Jersey and Rasheed from Staten Island.

  “Hey Unc G,” Munroe hugged me. I felt the gun strapped to her side as she embraced me. “I’m sorry I couldn’t attend the funeral… I was in LA with dad,” she explained.

  “I got your flowers, that’s all that matters,” I hugged her again. “Where’s your mother?” I questioned.

  “Upstairs. She’s counting the money for the third time. Something not adding up with her.”

  I went upstairs and found Messiah running money through the machine again. She had this puzzled look on her face as she separated the stacks of money and placed them in the machine. Knocking on the door, she looked up at me.

  “About time.”

  “Had to handle something.”

  She nodded her head. “Close the door,” I closed the door and took a seat in the chair next to the table. “I’m not emotional. You know this. My husband hates it. Still, Summer’s death did something to me. She was my God daughter. I loved her. This doesn’t go unpunished and I will make sure of the shit. I need to you to detach those emotions because blood will be spilled.”

  “Bet.” Was all I could say. She was right. The emotional part of me as a father had taken over my life. It was crazy how I could tap into each side of myself. Somebody had to pay for my daughter’s death.

  “Ma, look at her nails… they bomb right?” Maliah came into the room with a finger with blood on it. I think I wanna do something like that my next visit to the shop,” she nonchalantly spoke like she didn’t have a finger in her hand or blood all over her hands.

  “Yeah. That’s cute,” Messiah waved her off and ran the money through the machine again. “I thought I was tripping. I’m not tripping. Money is short and she’s to blame,” she muttered. Although she spoke low, her daughter heard every word. Messiah was a woman of many words, but when she spoke you listened.

  “What you want to do, Mami?” Maliah asked.

  “Bring her in here.”

  Maliah left and came back seconds later holding a woman with missing fingers. “You ready to be honest with me?”

  “Siah, money has been tight with my grandmother. I needed to pay for her chemo.” The girl begged. “I’ll get the money for you.”

  “No you won’t,” Messiah replied.

  “I promise that I can get it to you.”

  “No you can’t.”

  “I swear to God, I can get it to you in an hour.”

  “I know for a fact that won’t happen.” Messiah countered with a smirk upon her red lips.

  “How?” She pulled a desert eagle from behind her back and shot two in her head. Blood splattered on the seat next to me.

  “Told you,” she chuckled and went behind the desk. “Maliah bring a friend in and they steal, and I’ll kill you myself. You can’t put everyone on, and you’ll learn that when it’s your finger I’m playing with. Get this shit out my fucking office and tell Munroe and Mariah to bring crying barbie,” she snarled, and her daughter did exactly what she said without another word.

  “Damn, I forgot how messy you get with your shit,” I stood up and grabbed a soda from the fridge.

  “Ah, that’s because you’ve become this king that doesn’t get his hands dirty anymore. I remember a time where killing was like breathing for you,” she reminisced.

  “You don’t have to do it either… you choose to.”

  “Who will teach them? I don’t want prissy and spoiled daughters. I had to earn my stripes and they need to do the same,” she shot back.

  “You can’t force them into the life that you lived, Siah.”

  “Who says?” Stubborn as a bull, you couldn’t convince her that she wasn’t right. I shook my head and watched as Mariah brought in Zareena, Zeek and Zoe’s baby sister.

  “She got one more time to spit on me and I’m gonna fuck her up,” Mariah complained. “All this bitch does is cry and scream who her brothers are… bitch we don’t give a fuck who Zack is.”

  “His name is Zeek, bitch!” she screamed.

  “Exactly, nobody cares who Zebra is bitch,” Munroe added.

  Messiah waved them off and walked into Zareena’s face and messed with her hair. “So beautiful. So much potential. Too bad you have to pay for your brother’s mistakes.”

  “Bitch! I don’t have shit to do with my brother’s business, let me go!” she screamed as she tried to get away. When she realized that she couldn’t, she hawked up some saliva and spit it into Messiah’s face.

  Messiah slowly wiped it off her face and smirked. “I guess I’ll let you have that,” she slowly walked around the table and grabbed tissue to wipe the remaining spit off of her face. “Your brothers took something away from us,” she continued. “Something that no amount of money can bring back. Your brothers hurt me, and I don’t do well when I’m hurt.”

  I stood back and let her do her thing. My mind was thinking about this girl’s parents. The shit was pissing me off because it was like I couldn’t turn off being a father. Usually, I could separate the two and right now the shit wasn’t working for me. I was thinking about her father when he found out that she was dead. Her family would mourn, and the shit would be a cycle.

  “Nah, I can’t do this shit,” I blurted, and Messiah looked at me.

  “I’m not surprised. You’re still mourning, G. You take something from us, we take something from you… she’s not leaving this house alive.”

  “I can’t do this shit, Messiah. She got fucking pa—”

  POW! POW! POW!

  “Not any fucking more,” Maliah said as she sat the gun on the desk. Zareena’s body dropped to the floor with three bullets in her head. “Her fucking brothers took Summer away from us and tried to take Staten too. Unc, you gotta shake the fuck back because this ain’t you.”

  My phone started ringing. Free’s name came across the screen and I ignored. She immediately called back, and I answered. “Free, right no—”

  “G, SOMEONE JUST SHOT UP MY FUCKING HOUSE!” she screamed, and my heart dropped.

  10

  Priest

  I drove from Bulls Head to Free’s crib and disobeyed any traffic street rules. Ghost was in the front seat with his gun in his lap talking to himself. I could tell that beast we’ve all been waiting for was emerging slowly. He didn’t say anything, he mumbled to himself until we arrived to her crib. Police was all over the front of her house. Ghost tucked his gun into t
he glove box and hopped out. Cops tried to stop us and we both snatched away from them and entered the house. Free, Somali and Samaj was sitting on the couch. She had a tear stained face, but the tears had stopped long ago. I could see the anger on her face as she sat there holding her children as the cop tried to get information from her.

  “Detective, I don’t know who shot up my house… shouldn’t you be finding that out? I haven’t lived here a year, and someone is shooting my shit up!” she barked.

  “Ma’am, we’ll finish up outside and then we’ll be in touch,” the detective stood up and walked over to me and Ghost. “Mr. Davis, nice seeing you again… I’m Detective Mally,” he reached his hand out to shake mine. I stared at his hand before he put it back in his cheap ass suit jacket.

  “I wouldn’t say nice. My girl’s crib just got shot up with my children. The fuck so nice about it?”

  “W…well I’m sorry about that. We’re going to do our part to make sure that we find out who is behind it,” he adjusted his tie and then left out the house with his partner following him.

  I could smell a crooked cop a mile away and just staring at his partner, I could tell for any dollar amount, he would be willing to do anything that we told him to do. When the detectives left, I closed the door behind them, and Ghost went over to Free and the kids. The kids were shaken up, which I understood. Their home had just been shot up, who the fuck wouldn’t be scared?

  “What happened, Free?” Ghost asked as he held her shoulders. The tears had dried and now she was angry as hell.

  “Go into my bedroom, babies… I need to speak with your father,” she turned and told them before turning her attention back to Ghost.

  “I don’t know who the fuck it was, but they were driving an old Hyundai and took off before I could make out the plates through the window.”

  “You told the cops that?” I asked.

  She rolled her eyes and sucked her teeth. “Does it look like this is my first rodeo? I told them I didn’t see anything and waited for G to show up,” she replied.

  “Go pack you and the kid’s stuff,” Ghost said as he pulled his phone out and left the room. Free sat down on the couch and put her head in her hands.

  “Free, you know he’s not going to let anything happen to you or the twins,” I assured her. Ghost may have lost one daughter he couldn’t save, but he wasn’t about to lose any more people he loved.

  “This is the reason I left,” she sighed. “I didn’t want to raise my kids like this and look, my home has been shot up.” Tears fell down her cheeks as she got up to go into her bedroom.

  Ghost came back and plopped down on the couch. “I need you to take me to pick up Rain. Shakira’s dumb ass checked out and went to some wellness retreat to deal with losing Summer… I need to make sure my baby is under my roof,” he told me.

  “Wellness retreat?”

  “Yeah, her mother just told me that she tried to call me, but my phone was off. Either way, she shouldn’t be leaving her fucking daughter during this time,” he snarled.

  Shakira was forever fucking up. Ghost was going through shit and she couldn’t hold their daughter down once? What the fuck was a wellness retreat going to do for you? Your daughter was dead, and you needed to be there for the other one. I understood that Ghost was going through some shit when Free had left, but he picked the dumbest bitch to lay down and have a seed with. If she wasn’t his baby mama, I would put a hole in her fucking head myself. Free came from upstairs with two suitcases in her hand. I grabbed them and went to put them into the truck, then came back and loaded the kid’s bags into the back too.

  “I don’t like this shit, G,” she folded her arms and looked up at him. “How are we supposed to live our lives in fear? This is my home and now I’m afraid to come back… the kids are afraid too.”

  He rubbed her shoulders and didn’t say anything. I didn’t think he had anything to say. What could you say when death seemed to be following you everywhere? I knew he wasn’t going to allow another one of his kids to be lowered into the ground. He would die before he allowed that to happen. With all that was going on, I made sure to step out and check on Kiss and the girls. I was super low-key with my shit. I never took the same way home and I never pulled directly into my garage unless I circled the block three or four times. I was just a paranoid nigga like that.

  “Hey Ro, what’s up?” Kiss answered when I called.

  “Y’all good?”

  “Yeah, the girls are in the living room dancing and I’m catching up on school work. Do you think Justice can come over a few times a week and tutor me?”

  I sighed because I hadn’t spoken to Justice since the day I left the hospital. With how she was moving, I needed to protect my heart. “Call her and see if she’s available. Let her know that I’ll pay her too.”

  “Thanks.”

  “I’ll be home soon. Make sure the alarm stays on.”

  “Something wrong?”

  “Shit just getting crazy and I need to make sure you and your sisters are good,” I explained to her.

  Kiss knew what I did in the streets so there was no need to sugar coat shit. She was about to be eighteen and needed to know that sometimes shit would go down and I needed her to hold down the fort until I could make it there. It was a scary thought, yet this was the life that I chose to live when I left that Stapleton apartment years ago.

  “Do I need to grab the gun from your dresser?”

  “Nah, you should be good.” Kiss knew how to use a gun. I made sure that I taught her to defend herself. I wouldn’t always be there to protect her, and I wanted to be sure that Kiss could fuck some shit up if she needed to.

  “K. See you when you get home. Be careful,” she replied and ended the call. When I stepped back into the crib, they were shutting the lights off and locking up. The cops were still outside talking among themselves. Our tax money paid for them to sit there and try to act as if they were really trying to solve the shit.

  “Do y’all need her for any more questions? If you need her, y’all seem to know my address pretty well,” Ghost said and walked away with Free and the twins.

  They all piled into the car and we headed over to Shakira’s parents’ crib. Ghost ran inside and came back with Rain and her bag. He opened the back door and placed a sleeping Rain on Free’s lap. She stirred and got comfortable on Free’s arm. Shakira’s mother stood outside watching us as we pulled away.

  “Mom, she looks like me,” Somali said and Free offered her a small smile.

  “Your daddy has strong genes,” she responded and used the blanket to cover Rain up more.

  The ride to the house was quiet, but our thoughts were loud as fuck. We already knew who ordered the hit on Staten, but now we needed to know who the fuck would shoot up Free’s crib. The shit was personal because they came at Free and everyone knew that together or not, that Free was Ghost’s heart. Meanwhile Shakira’s stink ass was still walking around untouched. Blood was going to be spilled and I knew I needed to make sure my family was straight. Somebody wanted to wake up the beast in Ghost and they did. We arrived to the house and Pat was waiting outside.

  “What’s good, G? You good?”

  “Yeah, we’re straight,” he replied and walked into the house.

  Pat hadn’t seen Free since she had left years ago. Free held Rain in her arms as her twins trailed behind her. “Free, what’s good?” He kissed her on the head and hugged her. “How you been?”

  “I’ve been better,” she sighed. “Pat, promise me you won’t let him hurt himself out there,” she stared him in the eyes with a serious expression on her face.

  “You know I can’t make a promise like that, Free. You also know that I got his back and would never fail him.”

  “That’s all I ask,” she smiled and walked into the house. Ghost was on the phone and had a bottle of liquor sitting on the counter.

  Free placed Rain down on the couch and went to join him at the counter. The twins were so confused and out of
place. I could tell that Free was big on routine when it came to them. Ghost poured some cognac and took it straight back before he poured another drink and did the same.

  “Talk to me,” Free reached up and grabbed his face as she stared into his eyes. “Please don’t shut me out, Gyson,” she begged.

  “Ma, right now I’m trying to make sense of all of this shit. When I’m ready to talk, I’ll do it,” he told her and poured him another drink. “On the real… You need to bring the girls over here to stay for a while,” he looked at me.

  “Nah, we’re good.”

  “I’m not asking,” he stared directly at me. “Let one of my nieces get caught in this shit and that would fuck me up even further. It’s enough fucking room here and everyone will have their privacy.”

  “Is Staten okay?” Free asked.

  “Yeah, he on his way home now. You and the twins gonna stay here for a while, ight?” he looked down at her.

  She nodded her head. “Of course. I’ll do whatever to keep them safe,” she agreed with him. I could tell even though she was putting on a brave face, she was scared.

  “I’m bout to dip and get the girls. I’ll be back in a little bit,” I told him and headed out the door.

  On the way out, I dapped Pat and headed back to my crib to pick the girls up. On the way I called Kiss and told her to pack some clothes and shit. When I told her to pack some clothes she got nervous and started to panic. I had to remember that she was pregnant, and I couldn’t do shit like that. I didn’t plan to stay with Ghost forever so I needed to find out who the fuck was behind this fuck shit so we could get back to living our lives. I didn’t want my nieces scared and having to worry about our crib being shot up.

  I was packing some clothes into a duffle bag while the girls were trying to pack their own bags. My phone started to ring so I grabbed it while looking through my closet. “Yo.”