by K'wan
“What da deal, School?” Rio asked.
“Not good,” School Boy said, coasting alongside the two. “We lost another one, dick.”
“Fuck,” Rio said, slapping his palms together. “That's the second time in as many days. What was he holding?”
“The boy had a half a pack and about five hundred bucks on him.”
“This shit is getting fucking ridiculous. Every time the police run up on us, we lose. We lose a worker, work, and paper. This shit here has got to stop.”
“What you wanna do, Rio?” School Boy asked.
“I’ll tell you what. Ride on ahead and close up the shops. Tell everyone that's working to meet me in back of the center, right now. I don’t give a fuck if they’re in the middle of serving a customer. Have them ma fuckas over here within the next ten minutes.”
“You got it, boss.” School Boy quickly rode off on his bike to do as he was told. He didn’t want to get caught in the backlash of Rio's anger. Over the last few weeks, School Boy had noticed a change in Rio's demeanor. It was like the game was making Rio bitter. He used to always smile and joke around with the homeboys, but there wasn’t much of that going on lately. Rio was a money machine and paper chasing had become all consuming. One thing School Boy knew was that if anyone could come up with a scheme to fix their police problem, it was Rio.
“What you gonna do?” Cutty asked, strolling alongside Rio.
“Fuck you think I’m gonna do,” snapped Rio. “These niggaz is slipping and I’m gonna get their minds right.”
“That's what the fuck I’m talking about, Rio. You gotta rule this ma fucka wit an iron fist,” Cutty said excitedly.
“Easy, Wild Bill. You know that ain’t even my style. I’m a kind general. Our soldiers just need to think a little smarter.” Rio was about to add onto his wisdom when his cell went off.
Trinity was sitting on the bench in front of her building with Alex, smoking a joint and enjoying the weather. It was nice to just kick it with her girl and not have to hear Joyce's annoying-ass voice. Alex was her best friend while Joyce was just a bitch she tolerated. She didn’t hate the girl, but she wasn’t too fond of her either.
“This is some bomb shit.” Alex said, accepting the joint.
“I know it,” Trinity said, exhaling a cloud of smoke. “Rio sent Cutty uptown to get us an ounce of this shit. This is one of the few kinds of weed that he’ll smoke.”
“Umm hmm. Speaking of Cutty, where he at now?”
“Probably up the block with Rio. Why do you ask?”
“No reason.”
“Yeah, right,” Trinity said, nudging Alex. “Let me find out?”
“Please Trinity. Find out what?”
“That you feeling Cutty.”
“He a’ight,” she said shrugging. “But he ain’t nobody.”
“Alex, I know you.”
“Okay, so I might’ve been thinking about hitting him off. I know if he's fucking wit Rio, he's caked up.”
“Yeah,” Trinity said, taking the joint. “The boy is on a come up. But I don’t know, Alex.”
“What you mean by that, T?”
“I ain’t trying to scare you off, but something about Cutty gives me the creeps.”
“Girl, you tripping,” Alex said, waving her off. “I know what Cutty is out here doing and it don’t bother me. That nigga out here getting it and I want some.”
“You starting to sound like Joyce.”
“Never that. I got too much class with my shit. By the way T, what's up with you and her?”
“Ain’t nothing up. Why?”
“I don’t know, it's like there's some tension between y’all.”
“Nah, Alex. I wouldn’t call it tension. We just don’t click. I ain’t feeling how she gets down. Look how she did with Baron the other day?”
“Now, I gotta disagree with you on that one, Trinity. Baron is large in the game. I wish he would’ve tried to holla at me.”
“But you know I ain’t on it like that, Alex. Rio takes care of me just fine.”
“No disrespect, Trinity, but Rio ain’t seeing paper like Baron. He's just starting out, while Baron has been doing this for a while.”
“Money don’t make or break me, Alex. Now y’all got me all caught up in this party bullshit with Baron and his team. I ain’t trying to tip out on Rio.”
“Trinity,” Alex said, snatching the joint. “It's only a party. Ain’t like you sliding with the nigga. Besides, when is the last time we went out?”
“I don’t know, Alex. Let me see what Rio's doing first?”
“Trinity, you know I love Rio like a brother, but fuck that. If it's okay for him to go out with his peoples, why you can’t do it with yours?”
Alexis raised a good point. Rio went out with his peoples just about every weekend and Trinity never beefed. She just sat in the crib and waited on him. Maybe she should attend the party. Before she could ponder it further, a police cruiser pulled up. Trinity tossed the joint, but the cop had probably seen it. When the officer stepped out, Trinity thought he looked familiar too.
“Hello, Trinity,” Officer Brown said, smiling. “It's Officer Brown. Do you remember me?”
“Oh,” Trinity said, casting her glare to the still-burning roach. “Yeah, I remember.”
“Don’t worry about that,” Brown said, following her gaze. “I’m not here to bother you about a bag of weed. I actually came to see how you were doing?”
“I’m a’ight, I guess.”
“Did your father come back yet?”
At the mention of her father, Trinity's palms began to sweat. “Nope,” she said a little nervously. “I thought y’all was supposed to be looking for him?”
“And we have been,” Brown said, leaning on the fence. “But we haven’t had any luck. We’ve checked all the hospitals, rehabilitation centers, homeless shelters, and morgues. All turning up zero. It's as if your father has disappeared from the face of the earth.”
“I’m not surprised,” Trinity said in a stink voice. “Seems like the NYPD ain’t good for shit except giving niggaz a hard time.”
“Hey,” Brown said, holding his palms up. “I’m on your side, Trinity. Don’t let a few rotten ones turn you off from eating strawberries.”
“I’m sorry,” Trinity said. “I just haven’t been myself lately.”
“It's cool,” Brown said, waving her off. “I know it's a lot on you, with taking care of your little brother and all, huh?”
“Yeah, it's a struggle. But somebody's gotta do it.”
“That reminds me,” Brown said, turning more serious. “I need to talk to you about that. Alone,” he said, cutting his eyes at Alex.
“I gotta ‘burn it’ anyway,” Alex said, standing to leave. “Call me later on, T.”
“Later, Alex,” Trinity said, waving. “So,” she said turning her attention back to Brown. “What's up?”
“Well,” Brown said, sitting on the bench beside her. “I think the best way to tell you this is to just come out with it. There's a very good possibility that your dad might not be coming back. You’re nineteen so you really can do for yourself. But your brother Billy is still underage. As a minor he has to have some type of adult supervision.”
“What are you trying to tell me?” she asked in a worried tone.
“What I’m trying to tell you is that Children's Services has decided to step in.”
“What? I know y’all ain’t trying to take my little brother?” she said defensively.
“Be cool, Trinity. It ain’t that serious yet. They’ll probably be contacting you sometime soon about coming out to the house to discuss the matter with you. Being that Billy does have relatives, there's a chance for him to stay home. Is there anyone in your family that might be able to take him?”
“Damn,” Trinity sobbed. “It's just Billy, Rich, and me. We ain’t got no other family.”
“I know the situation with your brother Rich, so that one ain’t gonna fly. Is there anyone else yo
u can think of?”
“Nope. The only one left is me. Why couldn’t I do it?”
“I don’t know,” Brown said, scratching his head. “That's a lot of responsibility, Trinity.”
“It ain’t no more than what I’m doing now. I been taking care of my brother since I lost my mother.”
“Good point. But I gotta tell you, Trinity, you have to seriously step your game up. Them people ain’t gonna just let you keep Billy because you’re his sister. You have to show them that you can provide a stable living environment for the boy. You’re gonna have to show them that you receive some kind of income and are at least pursuing a diploma. Do you think you can do that, Trinity?”
“I don’t really have a choice, do I?”
All Brown could do was shake his head. Trinity had real character to just go hard for her brother like this. In a way he felt bad about the way he was stringing her along. Children's Services had been contacted because Billy was a minor, but the situation wasn’t as serious as he was making it out to be. He was just trying to gain the girl's trust by seeming to look out for her. She was a good kid who just happened to get mixed up with a bad apple. Brown's number one priority was to assist in the downfall of Prince's crew. Rio was a part of that and Trinity was just a way to get to him. But when it was all said and done, Brown really intended to help Trinity.
“Okay,” Brown said, pulling out a white business card. “Here's my number. Call me if you need anything, Trinity. I don’t care what time of day or night, my cell is always on.”
“Thanks,” Trinity said, dabbing at her eyes.
“I’m serious, Trinity. You really gotta step it up. If not for you, then for your brother. All this sitting on the bench and smoking weed crap has gotta stop.”
“I feel you, Officer Brown. And thanks.”
Trinity got up off the bench and started walking toward her building. She remembered what she had first thought of the brown-skinned cop and felt a little remorseful. Perhaps Brown wasn’t a dick like the rest of New York's finest? He actually seemed like he wanted to help. But friendly or not, he was still the enemy, so he had to be fed with a long-handled spoon. Her man was on one side of the line and Brown was on the other. That's just the way it had to be.
Trinity spared a glace over her shoulder to see Officer Brown still watching her. Something in his eyes told Trinity that he was sharper than most. Rio would have to be careful of him. She reached into her pocket, pulled out her phone, and autodialed Rio.
Rio listened carefully as Trinity relayed the conversation she’d had with the officer. He instructed her to keep her head and he’d meet up with her later on that night. Rio tried to sound confident so he wouldn’t scare Trinity, but truthfully he was nervous. Prince was thorough when it came to making problems disappear, but what if the police did find out what went down? He wasn’t too worried for himself. His mother used to always tell him, “Don’t do the crime if you can’t do the time.” He had committed murder and if worse came to worst, he’d hold the time as opposed to incriminating anyone else. His biggest fear was that Trinity might somehow get roped up in it all. She hadn’t done anything herself, but she had knowledge of the crime. With the judicial system being the way it was, having the knowledge was almost as bad as doing the dirt yourself.
“Yo dawg,” Cutty said, tapping Rio. “Everyone is here. You ready?”
Rio cleared his throat and focused on the business at hand. He had assembled all of his workers behind the center for this important meeting. Rio had dozens of people under him, but there were about ten of them gathered behind Frederick Douglass center. All employees of Prince and soldiers in Rio's army. Things in the hood were not going as they should and Rio intended to nip it in the bud.
“Excuse me,” Rio said, trying to speak over the crowd. The soldiers kept talking and doing whatever they were doing. “Yo,” Rio said a little louder. Still, no response.
“Yo!” Cutty barked. “Y’all niggaz shut the fuck up and pay attention!” At the sound of Cutty's booming voice, the crowd got quiet. “That's more like it. Go ahead, Rio.”
“Good looking, Cutty,” Rio said, smiling. “A’ight y’all,” he said, addressing the now silent crowd. “I ain’t gonna keep you long, so I’ll get right to it. We been losing money over the last few days and I’m not feeling it. We been losing good people and good money. This shit can’t go on, fellas.”
“Yo Rio,” said Paul, a brown-skinned hustler from the Amsterdam side of the projects. “It ain’t our fault. Police been jumping out from everywhere, kid.”
“I hear that, but what do you expect? We out here slinging stones, B. Ain’t like we licensed to do this shit. Truthfully, a lot of y’all niggaz been out here for too long to fall victim to the dumb shit.”
“So what do you suggest, boss?” School Boy asked.
“I’ll tell you, my nigga,” Rio said, putting his hand on School Boy's shoulder. “We gonna do our shit a little different from now on. Instead of just having a pitcher and a lookout, we’ll add a money man to the mix.”
“Money man?” a soldier named Sean asked.
“Yep,” Rio said, looking him in the eye. “A money man. He’ll be the dude that collects the money from the hype and signal the pitcher. This way if police do snatch a nigga, they don’t get everything.”
“But that's another nigga you gotta pay,” School Boy said.
“Not really. See, the way it works is, the pitchers and the lookouts will each donate a portion of their scratch to pay the money man. So if you look at it like that, it all works out.” A few cats mumbled under their breath, but Rio quickly put it to rest. “I don’t know why y’all niggaz is even mad when y’all the ones out here slipping. I’m trying to make it so we can all keep eating. If we don’t get knocked then we can keep bubbling. Until y’all get it together that's the way it's gonna go. If y’all don’t like it, step the fuck off. This is a business. Use ya head, fellas.” Rio's tone had no malice in it, but everyone knew he was giving an order. Prince's newest Capo was exercising his authority.
With that being said, the mumbling stopped. They knew what Rio had said made a lot of sense. Having a third party in on the transactions would make everyone else's job easier. Each man could focus on a specific task. A money man would also provide an extra set of eyes for the lookouts. It was times like those when they were glad Rio was running things. He was a dude who knew how to get money.
17
Rio and Trinity sat snuggled in the last row of the Magic Johnson theater. They had been able to catch the opening night of a movie called “Amor Negro.” It was a classic tale of four friends, all in search of a different kind of love. It was a good movie, but the book had been better. None of that really mattered, however, because they barely watched the movie. They were too caught up in each other. Rio's new position demanded a lot of his time and Trinity had been busy herself studying for her GED. She needed to pass it now that Children's Services had come into the picture. She had to get her shit together.
“Penny for your thoughts?” Rio whispered in her ear.
“Oh,” she said, “Nothing. I was just thinking about Billy.”
“Don’t fret that ma. Billy ain’t going nowhere. This whole shit is gonna blow over. You watch.”
“I hope so, Rio. I need to get it together so I can take care of my little brother. These people want proof, not words.”
“Ma, I told you got you. I got the hook up for these under-the-table apartments uptown. I’m gonna get a nice two-bedroom for me, you, and Billy, but it's gonna be in your name. That takes care of the living environment. You take your GED in a few weeks and I know you’re gonna pass it this time. Then you got your job down at Happy Jack's. It ain’t much, but it's yours.”
At the mention of her job, Trinity got quiet. She hadn’t told Rio about her losing her job yet. She had been so preoccupied, she hadn’t really thought about it. “Rio,” she said timidly. “I gotta tell you something. But you gotta promise that you ain’t g
onna get mad at me?”
“Trinity, why would I be mad at you.”
“Because I quit my job at Happy Jack's.”
“Damn,” he said, relieved. “That's all? I thought you had some heavy shit to drop on me, ma. That sets us back a bit, but it's all good. You can get another job, but you know I’m gonna take care of you, ma.”
“I know,” she said, kissing his lips. “And that's why I love you.”
The movie was over and the lovers followed the crowd out to the avenue. Rio was standing off to the side with Trinity, talking on his phone. She had her back to him, lighting her cigarette. As Trinity exhaled, she noticed a familiar figure coming out of the theater. His dreads were pinned up and he wore a heavy medallion, but she was sure it was Baron.
As if he felt her watching him, Baron turned around and looked at Trinity. He smiled, but didn’t approach her. Then he winked his eye. Trinity cracked a half-smile and finger-waved at him. Baron's man came out of the theater and whispered something in his ear. Baron nodded at his man and followed him to the cherry-red Benz truck that was waiting on him. The big truck bent the corner with 23-inch chrome rims sparkling in the moonlight.
Trinity spared a last glance at the taillights and shook her head. “Another place another life, but not this one,” she said softly to herself.
“What did you say?” Rio asked, startling her.
“Oh,” she said cooly. “Nothing. Just thinking out loud.”
“Okay. Well, the cab should be here in a few. You wanna go eat or you wanna call it?”
“Nah, I think I’m gonna go home and study.”
“A’ight, I’ll take you home.”
The cab pulled up and beeped its horn. Rio took Trinity by the hand and led her to the Lincoln. As she was getting into the cab, he stopped her short. “Trinity,” he said suspiciously. “Who was that cat with the dreads?”
Prince came out of his apartment building wearing a purple suit and matching gators. He had a twenty-something young lady, who looked like a Jet beauty of the week, on his arm. He was stepping out to take the young lady on a dinner date. J held the back door open while Prince helped the young lady inside. After a brief look around, J and the brute from the meeting got in the front of the tank. The Hummer pulled out into traffic and took off down Fifth Avenue.