by Dior, London
“My stepfather! My mother said that he was my daddy’s best friend, and that you did it.”
“Think about that shit, Milan. They said some little nigga popped him in a robbery. We wasn’t on that tip. We was getting money for real back then. What did me, Carter, or anybody in our crew have to rob a nigga for?” Wise grimaced, then he paused for a second. I just sat back and listened, wondering who the hell her step dad was and why the fuck he was starting shit.
“Wait a minute.” Wise finally spoke up. “I knew that I knew that ma’fucka from somewhere. You got a picture of him in yo’ phone? Show Carter that punk ass nigga.” Wise demanded as Milan pulled out her phone and scrolled through it.
As soon as she turned the phone around, showing me a picture of the man, posing in a family portrait with Milan and her people, my face instantly tightened. Hell yeah, I knew that hoe ass nigga!
Chapter Fifty
Anonymous
Things has been fucked up since that nigga Keem went and got himself killed. He was my inside man, and he was the one that had people on the lookout for Wise and Carter. Shit, now I had to figure out another angle.
I wanted my revenge. I wanted that shit so bad that I could taste it. It was now or never. If I allowed Carter to leave the city again, I probably would never get it.
I rubbed at the hairs on my chin, staring off into space as I thought. I no longer had the upper-hand, so I had to re-strategize. Sasha crossed my mind. It had been three days since I visited her at the hospital and the bitch still hadn’t called me. She must have thought that I was playing with her.
I leaned over, grabbing my cell phone, deciding to call her. I hadn’t used the number in a long time. I wondered if she went and got it changed on me. The phone rang once before my call was forwarded to voicemail. I dialed her number once again, only to get the same results. Obviously she thought that I was playing with her.
I tossed my phone to the side, standing to get myself together. My family was having a little get together and I needed to get ready for it. I didn’t even want to go to it, but I was hoping to see a special guest. A part of me knew that I wouldn’t find what I was looking for, but I still had hope.
Just as I finished getting dressed, my phone began to ring again. It was Sasha calling back and I screamed on her ass as soon as she answered. “Bitch, don’t be sending me to the voicemail. You answer my call every single time I ring that ma’fucka. Do yo understand me?”
“Yes,”
“And don’t say my name on this ma’fuckin’ line. You don’t know who listening.” I cut her off, knowing she was about to do it. Ever since I got locked up years ago, I didn’t trust nothing. Those pigs were sneaky as fuck.
“Ok, so what is it that you want from me? I was just supposed to find out information on Carter for you and that was it. I told you what state he moved to, and what all I knew about his whereabouts. I did my end. I’m pregnant, and I just want to be left alone to raise my child.” She whined.
I let her waste her breath. She said all of that and it still didn’t mean shit. I didn’t care what she did in the past, she was still going to do whatever I told her to do. See, Sasha was a bird-brain broad. She was so smart that she was stupid, and that’s why I couldn’t stand her. After she got me the info that I needed, I think that I might cancel her ass too.
“Fuck that, I need you to get back in touch with that nigga Wise. Say whatever you have to say to get him back on your team, and when you get the nigga to trust you again, holla’ at me and we’ll go from there.” I demanded.
“But he doesn’t want anything to do with me.”
“That’s yo’ problem. Get back with me asap.” I hung up on her, and my face was tight as hell. I thought about all the shit that I had been through because of those two ma’fuckas. I was at the last straw. I lost too many people to just let shit slide. Fuck Wise, and fuck bitch-ass Carter.
Chapter Fifty-One
Wise
“That nigga on some bullshit, Milan. Let’s go get my ma’fuckin’ kids before I have to kill somebody.” I growled, mad as fuck.
I couldn’t believe that he was trying to pull that bullshit. I had never met Milan’s step father until the other day when he came at me sideways and I got a bad vibe that day. I knew that Milan’s mother had met some dude and turned into a holy roller, but that nigga wasn’t saved like he acted. He was a street nigga and game recognized game.
“Nah, that ma’fucka gone die, period.” Carter shot, hitting his fist. His eyes had turned deadly. I knew something was up when he said that he knew the nigga, and whatever happened between them had to be serious. “Fuck man! That’s him! That ma’fucka had Ronnie killed. That’s the nigga I was beefin’ with before I left.”
I just stared at him in disbelief. This shit was crazy. Now he had me thinking. I hope like hell that Carter didn’t pull the trigger on Milan’s pops. But, if he did, the nigga more than likely deserved it.
“Amir would never do anything like that,” Milan cried, tears began to fall down her face again. I knew that she was thinking the same thing that I was thinking. My brother was guilty as fuck.
“Man, I’ll never forget a face. That’s him. Me and my people had the Westside on lock, and him and his crew was holding down the east. The ma’fucka got greedy and decided to step on our toes.” Carter’s eyes grew wide for a second, then he paused, studying Milan. He walked toward her.
“Milan, I promise I would never intentionally hurt you. I fuck with you the long way, for real.”
Milan shook her head. “No, no. What are you trying to say, Carter?”
Carter let out a sigh. “I’m saying that if it was me, I didn’t do it intentionally. They took my best friend on some bullshit and I was getting at anybody I thought was associated with that nigga.”
This shit was too much for even me. I knew that Milan needed to get away to get her head together and I needed my kids, because I wasn’t trusting that nigga after what Carter just said.
My damn heart sank. That ma’fucka was probably behind the bullshit that was going down, and they had my kids. That thought alone had me rushing Milan out the door to go get them.
***
I sped back to the city, well over the speed limit. Milan was still crying, but I made her get herself together and call her mother to see if the kids were ok and if she was at the house.
I knew that Milan was fucked up behind what we just discovered, but her ass wasn’t going nowhere. We were going to get through this shit and move on. Before she dropped that bomb on us, I was at the bar talking about moving out of state with Carter. I was still going to take my family and do that.
We pulled up the Milan’s mother’s house and she tried to have me sit in the car, but fuck that. Now I wasn’t trusting the nigga. Plus, I wanted to holla at him.
We both made it to the door and knocked. When it came swinging open, Milan’s step dad gave me this crazy ass look. He was acting like he didn’t even want to let us in.
“Hey Amir, where is my mother?” Milan asked, solemnly. Her face was puffy and you could tell that she had been crying.
“She in the back. Are you okay? Did this nigga put his hands on you?” He had a nerve to ask, staring me down.
My face screwed all the way up. “Hell naw, that ain’t even me. Look, Milan, go get the kids. Let me holla’ at him real quick.”
Milan skeptically took us both in before doing what she was told. I watched her until she disappeared, then I focused on him. “So you got a problem with me or somethin’ nigga? You been the one fuckin’ with us, huh?” I got straight to it, grimming the fuck out of him.
He let out a sarcastic chuckle. “Nah, if I wanted you and yo’ brother gone, y’all ma’fuckas would have been gone. God really did his work on me because the old Amir would have did some shit.”
“What nigga?” I inched closer. “I know all about you. You and yo’ people started the beef. Y’all killed Ronnie first and my brother just retaliated.”
> He shook his head, looking confused. “Naw, y’all ma’fuckas came at us first. Y’all greedy ma’fuckas couldn’t stay on y’all own side. We was good, but niggas always want more.”
Now I had the confused expression. Carter said that same thing about them. “Nah, nigga. Carter said that you killed Ronnie, and y’all was the ones that was on that bullshit. That’s why he came after you and ya’ mans.”
“Nah, I was told that yo’ brother killed my best ma’fuckin’ friend trying to rob him. That’s h0w all this shit started. But, that shit was years ago and all y’all are lucky that I’m not that dude I used to be ten years ago.”
I stood there stuck for a second. Now this shit was starting to add up. Somebody tried to get Amir beefing with Carter, and Carter beefing with Amir. They were the two Kingpins in the city and if they took each other out, the whole city would be open. Damn, wasn’t this some shit!
Amir and I were staring each other down, neither of us willing to say anything. I honestly didn’t know what to say. It was some deep shit going on and I was wondering who was at the bottom of it. Jabari crossed my mind. When all of the drama went down with Carter, it was his idea to gorilla the streets and take over. Me, him, and Keem split up the territories and ran shit together. But, when he got locked up, Keem and I completely took the game over.
I didn’t trust his ass anymore after he got out, so I was feeding him with a long handled spoon. Jabari got himself caught with two bricks and only did four years. That shit said snitch all over it. Plus, he was fucking with Milan and that damn near killed me to watch her with the next nigga, knowing she was supposed to be with me and our daughter. I stopped fucking with him, but Keem’s snake ass didn’t. I got pissed all over again, knowing that they were plotting on me in the same way. That’s why both of their asses were six feet under.
Yeah, that shit had to be them, because things had been smooth as hell without them around. I couldn’t think of anybody else that I was beefing with. However, the extra shit didn’t start until Carter came, and I also knew that Carter had been a wild ass nigga back in the day. So, I was stuck once again.
Milan came storming out of the house, breaking the silence. “Come on, let’s just go Wise.” She sniffled, pushing past us.
I took one last glance at Amir, before making my way toward Milan to see what the hell was wrong with her. We came to get the kids, yet they were still inside of the house.
“What’s up? What’s going on?” I asked once we got inside the car.
Tears were running down her cheeks. She didn’t speak for a few seconds. Instead, she bit down on the folds of her cheek, shaking her head.
“Talk to me,” I demanded, taking her hand in mine.
Milan faced me. “My mom said some fucked up shit man.” She continued to shake her head. “Talking about how stupid I am for always following behind a man. She trying to make it seem like I’m the world’s worst mom, and then she had the nerve to say that I needed to drop to me knees and pray to God that he forgives me. She called you all type of devils. Wise, she basically said that she disowns me because I’m messing with you and you’re connected with daddy’s death.”
I let out a sigh, swiping my hand across my face. When it rained it fucking poured! It was always something. The whole universe didn’t want to see us together. We got rid of one problem, then the next popped up.
“Stop crying, girl. You know you a damn good mother, and you the shit. I swear I think He broke the mold when he made you.” I squeezed her hand. “Don’t let nobody make you second guess yourself. Let’s get the kids and get the fuck on. We got each other, and if nobody else fucks with you, I’m gon’ always fuck with you.”
Her face curved into a semi-smile. “I swear, I love you so much.” She wiped the tears from her eyes. “The kids were sleep. She begged me to leave them there until we got everything together. Apparently, Amir feels like something bad is about to happen and since I won’t leave you alone, she don’t want her grand babies to be involved.”
I studied Milan’s face, thinking. That nigga Amir must have known something, and I wondered what the fuck he knew.
Chapter Fifty-Two
Carter
When Milan and Wise got back to the hotel, they came to my room. Selena and I were just about to get it in, so I was something like pissed that they came interrupting us.
“Aren’t you going to open the door?” Selena chuckled, as I rubbed her inner thigh.
“Hell naw, they can wait.” I shot. My soldier was at full salute, dying to get inside of her. “You done kept the pussy away from me for three months, fuck them.”
Selena shook her head, moving my hand from between her thighs. “Unt uhh, Carter, go open that door for your brother. I’m going to be here for the rest of your life.” Damn she sounded sexy saying that. Forever sounded good as hell. My life was so fucked up when she left that I never wanted to be without her again.
I let out a sigh, climbing off of Selena so that I could answer the door. It was probably for the better because I needed to know what the deal was. When I saw Milan’s step dad at the hospital the other day, I swear that I was going to end his life right then and there. Seeing Selena’s face stopped me from doing that dumb shit. The last thing I wanted was to be locked up away from my kid, and Selena.
I opened the door, Wise and Milan followed me back into the room, they sat on the couch, and I plopped down on the bed next to Selena, smacking her thigh as I hit the bed.
“Ouch, stop nigga,” She squeaked, hitting me upside my head.
I chuckled, “Shut up, you know you like that rough shit, girl.”
She just shook her head, then she focused on Milan, “Where the babies at? I haven’t seen them in forever. Is everything straight with your mom and stepdad?” she asked.
Milan sighed, “I guess. This shit is so crazy,”
Wise spoke up, “Yeah nigga. I don’t think that man was the one that killed Ronnie. He was saying you killed Milan’s pops and that’s why he came at you. Somebody told him that you was trying to take over their territory.”
“Man, what?” I was damn near yelling. “What the fuck I had to step on their toes for? I didn’t know shit about the east. You know for ya’self, we was doing damn good.” I said in my own defense. Now he was trying to twist shit up, and that was even more reason for me to pop his ass.
Wise shook his head, “Nah, bro. Somebody set both of y’all up. Peep game, if both of y’all were beefing, and y’all took each other out, the field would be wide open. Whoever it was knew what the fuck they were doing. You moved away, and ol’ boy left the game. Think about it.”
I sat there and thought about Wise’s theory. That shit made a lot of sense. I wondered who the fuck could be hiding in the shadows. Then I thought about it, shaking my head. “Nah, fuck that. It was that nigga. That day ol’ girl got into the accident, I saw his ass at the hospital. That wasn’t no coincidence. I don’t care what you say! What the fuck he was doing at the hospital? And why was that bitch even in the car with Keem? You better check that girl. Something fishy as hell.”
***
Selena
I looked at Carter and had to give him the side-eye as he sat up bad mouthing my cousin. I knew that Sasha could be a bit much; she had always been sneaky, even when we were kids. However, she wasn’t the scandalous bitch that he was making her out to be.
“Excuse me, boo. That is my family that you’re going extra hard on, Carter. If you feel that she is up to no good, then why don’t you have a conversation with her?” I interrupted, and since we were sharing truths, I decided to get in Wise’s ass too. I turned to him, “And you, you used that girl for how many years? Milan, you’re my Sis, and we go way back, but it’s not right that Wise just kicked her to the side and she’s pregnant with his child. No woman deserves that.” I rubbed my round belly, staring at both of their asses. With me, right was right, and they were wrong.
Wise chuckled, “I see that girl got you fooled. Did you
know she was fucking Jabari? And that she was telling that nigga he was the daddy?”
“What?!” Milan shrieked, I take it that she was just as surprised as me.
My face crinkled in confusion as I shook my head. “And how do you know that? I don’t think that’s true, Wise.” I defended Sasha. We had never been close, but since I’ve been back to Detroit, she was one of the only people that I could depend on. I had been away from her for so long that we were just getting to know each other again. I hoped that she wasn’t that sheisty bitch they were making her out to be and that I wasn’t defending her ass for no reason.
“That’s what I’m trying to figure out. How do you know that, Wise? I swear, that nigga was so grimey.” Milan looked hurt. I could see it in her face. I understood her pain, because Carter was a mess back in the day. But he got his shit together real quick.
“What you acting all surprised for? You knew that nigga was a dog.” Wise growled at Milan. He added, “I saw that shit with my own two eyes. Text messages don’t lie. Fuck her, she probably pregnant by the mail man.” Wise grimaced, and I just shook my head at him.
“Well, I still think that you need to talk to her,” I shrugged, as Carter leaned back on the bed, moving my hands, as he began to rub my belly.
Carter began to speak again. “Yeah, call that nigga up. I want to know why she was in the car with Keem, and why that punk ass nigga was at the hospital. She know something. Didn’t you say she been trying to call you Wise?
Wise nodded his head “Yeah,”
“Alright, well you got it babe, set that shit up. You want us to talk to her, we gone talk.” Carter demanded and it was fine by me.
Chapter Fifty-Three
Sasha
I rolled my eyes, looking at Selena’s phone number flashing across my screen. I didn’t want to be bothered, but I decided to force myself to answer the call. As much as I hated to admit it, I needed to keep her close, especially with that crazy ass nigga lurking. Maybe she could talk some sense into Wise’s ass. That Milan bitch had his head gone.