by Shan
“Yep, yep, let’s do the damn thing,” Yurie said as he started removing the money from the safe.
POW!
Smoke seeped from the back of Yurie’s head upon impact of the bullet that shattered the bones from his skull and splattered his brain matter everywhere. I wiped my prints off of the pistol and tossed it to the floor as Yurie dropped to the floor. I began to empty the contents of the safe out myself. I grabbed every dollar that was on the inside along with the cocaine and stuffed it inside of the duffle bag. I was thankful for Yurie and his assistance that he provided in order for me to pull this off, but I no longer needed him. He would only be in the way and I needed no one around who would try to fuck up this plan.
After successfully putting everything inside of the bag, I pulled it over my shoulder, and walked over to the hotel room door. I pulled the door open and looked around before stepping on the outside. I didn’t see anyone so I walked out, closed the door behind me, and walked down the sidewalk.
Once I had made it out of the hotel’s parking lot, I crossed the street and headed in the direction of a Waffle House where I would use the phone to call my ride. I had too much to gain from the money that was in this bag and couldn’t risk it by putting it into the hands of a petty hustler like Yurie. He had been pushing weight since the first day I had met him a few years ago and the nigga still hadn’t come up. I was used to fucking with niggas that had boss status in the streets and Yurie was just not that dude. Sometimes sacrifices had to be made in order to make it to the top. Unfortunately for Yurie, he was a sacrifice.
Pulling out my cell phone, I pressed down on the last number I’d called in the past hour and pressed the phone against my ear.
“What up babe? What’s good on that end?” Chino said into my ear.
“I got it. Yurie got the safe open finally and that bitch looked real healthy on the inside. I’m talking about it’s enough to put you back on top, daddy,” I cooed in Chino’s ear as I made my way inside of the Waffle House.
“Shit, don’t be fucking with a nigga. That bitch looking that good,” he said in his deep, sexy, Southern accent.
“Oh baby, you know your girl wouldn’t lie to you. I’m talking about it’s enough for you to get your shit back tight and right. Come scoop me now. I gotta get out of the area.”
“Where is that nigga Yurie at, do I need to handle-””
“What did I tell you this morning when I talked to you?” I asked cutting him off and noticing the odd stares that came from the patrons inside of the Waffle House.
I imagined they were little concerned by my mangled hair, my scruffy clothing, and the blood stains that sat in various places. I had yet to change my attire from the accident a couple of days ago. My appearance and my health had been the least of my concerns. Yurie and I went straight to Lubbock to retrieve Imran’s safe and then did everything possible to get the muthafucka opened. I haven’t even thought twice about a shower, a change of clothes, or even seeking medical attention for the couple of ribs that I knew were broken. Now that I had the money safely in my possession, and Yurie was dead, I needed to get back to Maryland and get on my grind with my baby, Chino.
I met Chino a couple of years ago when Yurie introduced us. He was everything that I wanted in a man, and he reminded me so much of the old boo Imran. He was getting money like a muthafucka and had the whole state of Maryland on lock with that white girl and that hard. He was pumping so much weight in the streets that he had tons of bitches after him, and I was one of them. I immediately put him on my list of things to do and when I set my mind to do something, I get it done.
I approached him on some boss bitch shit and let it be known that I wanted him. At first he laughed at me, but after I pointed out everything that was wrong with his entire organization, he started to look at me a little differently. I warned him that he had too many loopholes in his shit and that niggas was too close and knew too much of his damn information. They knew where he kept his dope, his money, where he rested his head, and just too much shit that nobody but him should have known about. Hell I knew all about it and I didn’t even work for him.
I also told him that I felt a little funny about his right hand man Stash. Every time I looked at that dude, he always seemed a little too fidgety to me and like he was scared that the police was gonna come shut shit down at any moment. To me that was a sign that he was expecting something ‘cause he knew something nobody else knew. Chino didn’t listen to me because he thought that I was just a know it all and that I would do anything to get closer to him. When Stash started snitching and he got arrested, Chino regretted that he didn’t listen to me in the first place.
He’d spent a little time in jail and was facing a shit load of charges. Everything had started to fall apart for him. His whole squad wasn’t as loyal as they claimed to be and the ones that were lost and didn’t know what to do to save their boss. He was losing money by the day and his empire was slowly weakening.
From a distance, I watched as it all fell apart. I waited until the time was right before I made my presence known to him once again. I took care of that supposed right hand man Stash and sent a message to Chino that I wasn’t playing no games when I said I wanted him.
It was all said and done then. Once he beat the case that the feds had against him, he got out and came right for me, but I wouldn’t leave Yurie just yet. I had to make sure Chino knew how serious I was. I wanted to make sure he was just as serious as me. I didn’t want to put all this work in for him to toss me to the side for some bitch that came through looking just a little bit prettier and tempting than I was. He had shit to prove since I had proven how far I was willing to go to be with him.
I’d told him all about Imran and how he dissed me when I needed him the most. I gave him a play by play on Imran’s life and how I knew all about the money that he’d kept in his safe house. I also knew that the only way to get the safe was with the key that Imran kept with him everywhere he went.
For months, we planned how we would get the key from him without killing him and bringing too much heat on ourselves. I finally came up with the idea of me getting close to him and pretending like I had some crazy muthafucka after me. Chino would get a few of his boys together, one that included Yurie so that he would think that he was helping me. They would shoot up a few of Imran’s blocks and even shoot at me to make it all work out. So when the time came for me to get take the key from Imran and run, he wouldn’t even think twice about coming to look for me.
Hell, I had never expected for Imran to actually take me to the damn place his self, well almost take me to the place. That accident seemed to happen just perfectly though. I didn’t mind the minor bump and bruises that I had to suffer because in the end, it was well worth it.
“Damn, how did I get so lucky to have you in my life? I’m one lucky muthafucka,” Chino said and I could hear the authenticity of that statement in his voice.
“Told you, I don’t play any games. I’m sincere about my shit. Now come get me, and let’s get the fuck out of Dallas,” I said into the receiver.
I took a seat in the back of the diner with my back facing the wall so that I could see everything that was going on.
“Waffle House right across from the motel I told you we were staying at. Hurry because I’m getting nervous.”
“On my way love.”
5: Imran
A week later.....
“Happy?” my attorney, Mr. Segal asked as he reached out for my hand to shake. A smile of pure satisfaction crossed my face as I replayed the words that the judge had just spoken.
“The charges will be dropped for now. I’m giving the state a week to produce more evidence that the defendant was acting out of anything other than self-defense as stated by the witnesses’ testimony. Bring me something before the court within a week and I will gladly set another date to go before the grand jury.”
“Happy? Man, I don’t think there is a word for what I’m feeling right now. Thank you so m
uch,” I said and gripped Mr. Segal’s hand with force and shook it, showing my appreciation for what he had done for me.
I was still in the hospital and the doctors told me that within a week or so I would be able to go home. My uncle B.B. had hired me a lawyer and the two of them went to the court for me since my medical condition wouldn’t allow it. They had brought back the news on a recorder, and I swear I wanted to jump out of this bed and run around in fucking circles. As much as I hated that bitch, Jahzara, right now, I was glad that she was alive to be able to tell her side of the story and help me get off for these trumped up charges.
Hell, everybody knew that I had done all of this shit because I was trying to save her ass. Had it not been for her, then I wouldn’t have been in this position at all.
“I told you once I took this case that it was open and shut. I mean, the Mexican chick was on the run for murder and Quin was wanted for questioning on a few robberies. This was simple for me and your girlfriend telling the police that it was all done in self-defense made it that more simpler,” my lawyer said.
I pushed the button on the side of the bed to allow my bed to be lifted a little higher and once again told my lawyer how thankful I was for him. He nodded and left B.B. and I in the room alone.
“Thank you B.B. I know I ain’t been doing right, but I appreciate you for coming through for me,” I said sincerely.
“No doubt. You fam. You good now, nigga? Maybe your ass will stop crying like a lil’ bitch now you know you not gonna be locked up the rest of your damn life,” B.B. said as he smirked at me.
I laughed, “What the fuck ever. Hell yea I’ve been crying. I’m in pain and these crooked ass cops wanted to send me to prison for some shit that I had a right to do. None of the shit they were saying even made sense; I knew I had to get a lawyer and quick. They wasn’t about to have me go down for this shit.”
“You was gonna go down if that bitch didn’t save you. So what you gonna do about her anyway? I hope your love sick ass is done. Get rid of her like you did Rain.”
“First off, Jahzara didn’t save me. She was the one who killed fucking Honey, and she tried to kill Rain. I only shot that bitch because she was out of fucking line. Put me through all this shit and she wanted to kill the one bitch that was standing by my side and being loyal to me,” I huffed. “She better be lucky I didn’t tell the complete fucking truth or she would be the one facing the damn charges.
“You still haven’t heard from Rain?” B.B. asked as he sat in the chair that was close to the window.
“Nah, and the crazy thing is no one has mentioned her at all. It was like she wasn’t even there. I don’t know where the fuck she is or if she is even okay. Maybe she’ll pop up once everything dies down.”
I rubbed my facial hair thinking about Rain and what could have possibly happened to her. Last week, when the police stormed in my room throwing out all these charges at me, they never once mentioned her name or even asked about the other woman in the car. It was only Honey, Quin, and Jahzara—what the fuck happened to Rain? I shrugged it off and looked over at my uncle.
“Aye, I’m ready to go. I think I want to take me a little vacay and chill out in Lubbock until I heal. Then I gotta figure out what the fuck I’m gonna do from there. I haven’t said anything, but Tamar came through here and told me that he was cutting me off because he was gonna handle things on his own.”
“Yea, I know all about it,” B.B. said and sat forward in his seat.
“What you know about it?” I asked suspiciously.
“Dom had a meeting with him the other day. He agreed to give us ten percent monthly as long as we allow him to move his work here in Dallas. We looking at least a couple of hundred thousand dollars a month from him give or take.”
“Wow,” I shook my head in disbelief.
I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. Tamar had cut me off because he feared that I was gonna turn on him for my uncles and he ended up working with them in the end. I felt more than betrayed at the moment and my plan of leaving the hospital against medical advice and getting the fuck out of Dallas was starting to sound better and better.
“Shit, dude would have been a fucking problem so we did what we had to do. Besides everyone gets to eat and that’s all that matters in the end,” B.B. added.
“Everyone like who? I haven’t heard shit from Dom and I damn sure ain’t heard shit from you. You’ve been here every damn day and ain’t said shit about me getting money,” I said.
“First off, you fucked up when you continued to do business with Tamar after you were told not to. Secondly, you almost died, Imran. It’s probably best that you take some time off and get yourself together. When are you being discharged?”
“I’m not waiting to be discharged. I’m ready to go now. I will just have to pick up Kira and tell her to take care of me for a while.”
“I’ll call her and let her know,” B.B. said and jumped up from his seat.
I shook my head and thought about what I was gonna do since I’ve been forced out of the game. The only thing I know how to do is move weight and I honestly ’don’t know if I’m good at anything else. I’ve never tried my hand at anything other than hustling. It’s the only thing I was taught as I child. Not doing it anymore would feel strange.
Maybe, I’ll take the money I got saved up and see what Lubbock got popping. Or shit maybe I can go up North and get money with them Jersey niggas. I got family in Jersey.
I began to remove the blood pressure cuff that was strapped to my arm and then went to pull the cords loose that was hooked up to the vitals machine. I needed to get out of this hospital and get to a calm place where I could think more clearly.
While B.B. was out in the hallway on the phone, I pressed down on the button to call a nurse, and then walked over to the closet area that held all of my personal belongings. I opened up the closet door and pulled the bag out. It contained my wallet, my torn and bloody clothes and that was it.
I sat the bag down on the floor and thought about everything that I had on me before I had gotten into the accident. There was the gun that was taken into police custody, there was my cell phone that was sitting on the lunch tray by the bed, and then there was---my keys.
Where the fuck are my keys?
I jerked the closet door back opened and looked around the space to see if maybe they had fallen. When I didn’t see them anywhere, I frantically began to search around the hospital room.
“Can we help you Mr. Jackson? You should not be out of your bed right now. What is it that I can get for you?” the nurse asked and gripped my arm.
I jerked my arm away from her and turned to look into her face. She was a heavy set black lady that looked to be in her mid-thirties. She had cute chubby face and wore her hair in neat bun with some bangs that fell down the middle of her forehead.
“Where the fuck are my keys?” I asked with as much patience as I felt.
“What keys? Everything that you had on you when you came in was placed in a bag that is labeled personal belongings and is tagged with your name,” the nurse said and reached for my arm, but I pulled away before she could grip it.
“Okay, but my keys were not in there. I would have had them on me when I came in. They’re always on me.”
“Mr. Jackson, I need you to calm down. I will check the log book to see what was recorded and I will check with Lost and Found. Just get back in your bed right now.”
“I’m not getting back in no fucking bed. As soon as I find my damn keys, I’m leaving!”
“The doctor hasn’t discharged you yet. You need-””
“I said I was fucking leaving! Find my damn keys!” I yelled putting more bass in my voice than before so she knew there was nothing to argue about.
She stepped away from me and swiftly walked out of my room. B.B. stepped back inside and saw that I was pissed and panicking.
“What the hell going on? Step outside to call Kira and hear you in here-””
I cut him
off. “My fucking keys are gone. Have you seen them?”
“Nope. Did they not put it with the rest of your stuff?” B.B. dumbly asked.
“Nigga, if they had put it with the rest of my stuff then I wouldn’t be going crazy looking for the shit.”
I stood frozen trying to think. The last time I had my keys they were connected to the keys of Jahzara’s rental car. I had to go and find her. She was somewhere in this hospital. I had to go talk to her and see if she had my keys in her possession.
6: Jahzara
I placed a spoonful of Jell-O into my mouth and frowned at the television as they began to play an episode of The Simpsons. I was so fucking tired of watching the same shit over and over again and couldn’t wait to leave this place so I could see some real damn cable.
I was healing quicker than the doctors had expected and would be well enough in a few days to go for my third surgery that was required to repair the tear in my aortic wall. They had temporarily placed an instrument there to keep it together until I was well enough to go under the knife again. I was scared to damn death, but I knew it was something that had to be done so I was ready. I wanted to get it over with as fast as possible because after that I would be in the process of healing so that I could go home. I still had yet to decide where I was gonna go after leaving here or what I was gonna do with myself. All I knew is that I wasn’t going back to my parents’ house.
My mama and I couldn’t get along for shit and every time I saw her step through that damn door, I pretended to be so sleepy and in pain that it was a hassle to talk. It worked like a charm too. Every time she would sit her country ass in the corner of the room and work on the ugly ass baby blankets that she planned to give to her grandchildren one day.
She had this new love of knitting and sewing and I promise you, you couldn’t tell her that she wasn’t the shit. Those blankets were ugly as hell, but I would always pretend like it was the best thing I had ever seen. There was no need to hurt the woman’s feelings seeing as how she had even suggested contacting Disney to see if they would be interested in buying her blankets for their baby products. I had laughed so hard on the inside when she’d told me, but who was I to stomp all over her dreams?