by Shan
I kept my eyes fixed on my mama and my daddy, looking at them as if this was gonna be the last time that I would ever see them again. I tried to swallowing over and over again to catch my breath, but it seemed hopeless. I was in so much discomfort, but I kept my eyes on my parents and until I couldn’t see them anymore.
15 : Rain
“Aghhhhhhhhhh! Shitttttttt!” I screamed out in agony as Imran poured a whole damn bottle of Saline Solution on my wounded thigh. I began to shake as if it was a cold winter night instead of the warm spring night that it was. Imran took a scarf that he’d found in Chino’s coat closet and wrapped it tightly around my leg. He then moved to the back of my leg and did the same thing. I shook and jerked like I was having a seizure. I tried to hold the agony I was going through in but couldn’t. Again I screamed. “Fuuuuuckkkk! Oh my Godddddd!”
“There, that should last you until you can get to a doctor. Call this nigga up and find out where he’s at!” Imran said as he stood to his feet.
He went into his pocket and pulled out a bag of weed and a cigarillo. I hated to have to do this to Chino, but that nigga had left me out to hang. He was supposed to handle these types of situations for me, but no, here I was with two bullets in the same damn leg.
I took out my cell phone to do exactly as Imran asked. Part of me knew that after he got his money back that he was gonna kill me. I’d killed his cousin an accident or not, Imran was not gonna let me live that down. I had to figure out a way to save myself and if I could, I would save Chino, but right now it was all about me.
I pressed down on Chino’s name in my phone and placed the phone to my ear. Imran snatched it away from me and placed the call on speaker just in time for me to hear the operator say that the phone number was no longer in service. I damn near shit a brick. This muthafucka didn’t pay his bill! I thought and wondered had shit gotten that bad for Chino that he couldn’t afford to pay his bill.
I looked up at Imran to see what he wanted me to do, and was that quickly staring down the barrel of his gun.
Fuck! Think Rain! Think! I told myself, trying to figure out what to do next. This nigga had allowed his phone to get cut off. Who the fuck allows their phone to get cuff off? He had damn near a quarter million dollars in his possession and he couldn’t pay his phone bill.
“Still playing games I see! You think somebody stupid, don’t you?” Imran asked as he tapped me in the forehead with his pistol. “This is a nigga that’s supposed to be chasing you down and trying to kill you, but you bring me to his house and open the door with a key.”
Shit.
“That’s cause...”
I stopped talking when Imran placed the gun at my lips. The barrel of it was hot, and the last thing I wanted was another piece of hot lead in me. I couldn’t take no more. I was sure that cutting my leg off would be everything right now. This shit was’ no joke.
“Speak carefully. Don’t lie. The more you lie, the worse you make this little relationship we have.”
“He doesn’t know I have the key to his house, Imran. Do you think I would just walk up in the house of the guy that wants to kill me?”
“Do you think I’m actually dumb enough to believe that bullshit you talking about? Where the fuck is he? I know you’re working with him?”
Just as Imran asked me that question, there was suddenly a noise coming from the second floor. Imran turned away from me and took his stare into the direction of where the noise was coming from. I took that as my opportunity to get away from him. I grabbed the vase that was sitting next to me on the end table, and slammed it against Imran’s hand. The gun fell to the ground and the fact that I caught him off guard caused him to stumble. I dove to the ground and grabbed the gun quickly, not giving a fuck about my aching leg. I was in a fight for my life. I knew that Imran was gonna kill me, but I wasn’t gonna go out without a fight.
I rolled over and began firing, but Imran jumped out of the way and took off running towards the exit.
POW! POW! POW! POW!
“Shit,” I yelled when I realized I hadn’t hit shit.
I slowly got onto my knees and looked over the couch to see if Imran was still around. I didn’t see him so I got all the way up from the floor, gripping the gun tightly in my hand, and then making my way toward the staircase. I walked up the stairs backwards so that I could keep my eyes open in case Imran tried to sneak up behind me. I needed to see what the noise was that was coming from upstairs. Somehow I knew it was Chino. Maybe he’d come here looking for me since his phone was off.
“Chino!” I yelled out.
When I had gotten closer to the top of the stairs, I turned around to go towards the bedroom when I was punched in my face and knocked backed down. I rolled down the steps, my head hitting each one of them. Finally when I reached the bottom, I looked up to the top to see Chino’s henchman Ray standing at the top with a bag on his back.
What the fuck? I thought.
16: Imran
I made a U-Turn in the middle of the street and parked the car I’d stolen earlier a few houses down from the house that Rain brought me to. Couldn’t believe I let that bitch get me off my square. What the fuck was I thinking about when I allowed that bitch to bring me here anyway? Should’ve known that the shit was a straight set up.
I shook my head in shame and placed the car in park, keeping a close eye on the house. That bitch and whoever the fuck was up those stairs had to come out eventually and when they did, I would be right on their ass. This shit was about more than just my money now. Every time I thought about my cousin Kira lying up in a dirty motel room, waiting on her body to be discovered, it pained me. Every second that she was there, her body was getting colder and colder and she didn’t deserve no shit like this.
Yea, she had done some fucked up things in her life, but at the end of the day she was a good person. She was always jumping to help no matter what the situation. She loved being a nurse, and it was something that made her thoroughly happy. I didn’t know how I was going to explain to this to the rest of the fam. Part of me wanted to run away and act like I didn’t know what happened, but only cowards ran away from the truth.
“Come on bitch. Bring your ass up out of there,” I mumbled and checked my surroundings.
After sitting in the car for over an hour, I looked up and finally saw some movement coming from the house. There was a tall, bulky guy hurrying down the sidewalk with what looked like Rain tossed over his shoulder. He rushed to an awaiting dark SUV that I hadn’t noticed before. He pulled the backdoor opened and placed Rain in the backseat.
I put the car in drive and prepared to follow behind them. I was sure her and that muthafucka was working together and they would somehow lead me to my money. Rain was a fool if she thought I believed that bullshit ass story she fed me. I was sick of muthafuckas trying to play me and I’d had enough of the drama to last a lifetime. I was getting too old for shit like this.
I should be settled with a bad ass chick on my arm and at least one child right now, but it seemed that all I was doing lately was fighting for my life. That was some shit that I just couldn’t understand. I know for a fact that I was good dude, so for the life of me, I didn’t know what the problem was.
As soon as the SUV made it to the end of the block, I started to follow behind them, keeping a safe distance so that they wouldn’t notice me. They took the first right they came to. I sped a little to reach the stop sign to keep track of where they were going. I noticed that they took a left on the next street while I took the same right they’d taken before. Just I was about to hang the left turn, my cell phone vibrated in my lap. Grabbing the phone, I glanced at the Caller ID and saw that it was Jahzara calling me.
I pressed the end button on the phone and sat it in the seat next to me. Just seeing her name pop up pushed my thoughts back to my fucked up love life. Knowing she was part of my misery, I didn’t even want to talk to her right now. As much as I cared about her, it would be hard for me to forget about everything t
hat I’d gone through because of her.
I would never be able to trust her and wondered if showing up at the hospital next week for her surgery was even a good idea. I didn’t even want to give her false hopes knowing I was kinda iffy about the whole thing. She still had a place in my heart, but these females just weren’t acting right.
I followed behind the SUV for about fifteen miles before they pulled into another neighborhood that wasn’t quite as nice as the one we’d just left. The houses were older and there were a few niggas hanging on the block. Not having a pistol on me was a real big problem right now. I didn’t know anything about this area and didn’t want to put myself in a position where I was surrounded by a bunch a niggas that wouldn’t hesitate to kill a stranger. I decided to just park and watch.
Turning the volume up on the stereo, I allowed the beat of the Rich Homie Quan’s song to mellow me out as I grabbed my blunt from my jeans that I rolled at Rain’s friend house before she tried to shoot me. I glanced up at the SUV and noticed that they still hadn’t got out of the vehicle yet. I took a lighter and ran the flame across the cigar all the while keeping my eye on any movement that came from the SUV. I didn’t know if they were picking up somebody or dropping somebody off.
I lit up my blunt and took a huge tug, holding the smoke in for a few seconds before I blew out a thick cloud. A few minutes later, a light-skinned guy with curly hair emerged from the house that the SUV was sitting in front of. He was carrying a black duffle on his shoulder with a cigarette hanging from his lip.
“Bingo, muthafucka,” I said knowing that was my shit.
17: Rain
I sat in the backseat of the SUV that Ray threw me in wincing in pain. I couldn’t believe I was still fucking breathing after all this shit. I honestly couldn’t determine which part of my body was worse off. My head throbbed with discomfort from the many of knots that formed from me constantly bumping my head on the steps as I fell. My side from my broken ribs wasn’t getting any better and felt like one would pierce through my skin at any moment. Let’s not even talk about the gunshot wound in my right thigh and the calf muscle of my right leg. I was fucked up and I felt even worse.
I tried to keep my whining down so that I could hear what was going on up ahead of me. Ray had made a stop in what looked like the neighborhood where Chino hustled in, but I couldn’t say for certain. I wanted to raise my head and look, but was afraid that he would punch me with that big ass fist of his again.
Ray was Chino’s henchman and had worked by his side since they were just teenagers. He’d always been a big boy and it followed him all the way to his adult life, putting him at 6’5, 295 pounds. He wasn’t fat though; just big and solid muscles. He hardly ever had to use a pistol. His looks were enough to intimidate the baddest nigga around. Ray was one of the few that Chino kept around after his best friend snitched on him to the FEDS. I didn’t trust Ray, but if Chino was gonna take the risk and trust him then that would be his problem.
“Nah, I ran into a little problem, but you will see when you get out here,” Ray said into the cell phone.
What the hell he mean little problem? I hope he is not talking about me. Damn near knocked me the fuck out when he should’ve been going after Imran and taking care of him.
“Damn, I wonder where Imran is.” I questioned under my breath.
I knew that he didn’t just go away that easily. I knew Imran well and felt that he was close by waiting and watching.
“A’ight, come on. I think we can make it there in a few hours,” Ray said.
I placed my hand over my mouth to drown out the moans that I couldn’t stop from coming out. I closed my eyes tightly as a stream of pain ran through my entire body. I needed something to fix this shit. If only I could get a little relief. I know I had put myself in this situation and was willing to take what was thrown back at me. It was how shit worked when you did grimy stuff.
Karma was a bitch and I believed in the saying “what goes around comes around.” That shit was nothing but the truth. I had fucked Imran over and now I was suffering the consequences, but I only hope that this shit didn’t last long. I either wanted to die soon or get some type of pleasure from it. I could only remember feeling happy about this whole lick we pulled for all of twenty-four hours. Everything just seemed to go completely downhill from there. I don’t know what the fuck I was thinking about, but then again I didn’t think Imran would recover, and thought that if he did, he wouldn’t have recovered so quickly. He’d bounced back way faster than I’d expected and came hard as hell.
My body jumped at the sound of the car door opening and Chino’s voice filling the inside. I opened my mouth to speak, but before the words could even come out, venom spit from Chino’s lips, “Was you able to grab my shit without Rain asking any questions? I should’ve told you to kill that bitch before…,” and suddenly he stopped speaking.
“Bro, that what I was trying to tell you on the phone, but you kept cutting me off. I was in the house grabbing it when somebody came in. Heard a little commotion going on downstairs and come to find out it was Rain and some nigga. A few shots were fired and next thing you know I had to knock Rain the fuck out…she’s in the back,” Ray explained to him.
“What the fuck you mean she’s in-” Chino looked over the seat and looked me dead in my eyes. I was so hurt to see how cold and uncompassionate his stare was. I knew that he wasn’t in love with me, but I had assumed that we were heading towards that way. I had sacrificed so much to be with him. Betrayed Yurie, killed his snitching best friend Stash, robbed Imran, and then turned around and killed Yurie—at least Yurie loved me.
How the fuck could he do me like this after all I had done for him? I asked myself as I felt the hot tears that streamed down my face, burning the few open cuts that I had.
“Fuck did you bring her for? You should’ve just killed that bitch! And who the fuck is this nigga you talking about that was with her?” Chino asked so coldly.
“I don’t know. I went downstairs looking for him, looked all over the house and he was gone,” Ray told him.
“See that’s why I refused to put my trust into her grimy ass! She probably had that nigga there to try and set me up. Look how she did Yurie. I know like hell, she had plans to do me the same way. Not today baby! Not to-” Chino looked back at me as he rubbed his hands together. “day.”
“I really loved you,” I said just above a whisper.
“What you say?” Chino leaned over as to hear me better.
“I said I really loved you Chino. I was down for you,” I said sincerely as more pain fell from my eyes.
“Bitch you down for your muthafuckin’ self. ‘Preciate all you did, but I don’t need you anymore,” Chino chuckled and fired up a cigarette. “The first vacant lot or something like it you come across, pull the fuck over so we can get rid of her ass. Can’t believe you brought this bitch along.”
I closed my eyes as I laid across the seat and just cried. I prayed that I had a chance to die before Ray had a chance to kill me.
18 : Imran
I had followed the SUV all the way from the hood that the driver took me to and now to what looked to be an abandoned lot. It looked like an old strip mall that had eventually gone out of business. There was graffiti tatted across the walls, broken windows wherever there ’weren’t boards, trash all over the lot, and broken bottles scattered about.
I passed up the lot that they’d pulled into and drove across the street where I still had a good view. I parked the ride in a space and killed the lights so that they wouldn’t see me. I really needed to get my hands on a pistol so that I could dead all this extra shit that I was doing. Following niggas like I was a fucking undercover was getting old.
I was tired and in need of some pain medication badly. I knew I shouldn’t have left that hospital before it was time, but of course I wasn’t expecting to be chasing after Rain and these niggas for my shit. My entire chest felt like a cup of acid had been tossed onto it. I knew that I w
ouldn’t be able to go much longer before I passed out from the pain, so I had to figure something out and quick. This shit here was for the birds.
I squinted my eyes once the driver side door to the SUV came open and watched as the driver stepped out and walked to the backdoor. He pulled the door opened and yanked Rain out as if she was as light as a feather. He dragged her a few feet away from the car and quickly removed his pistol that was tucked on his waist.
Fuck maybe her ass was telling the truth. Shit!
I tapped my hands against the steering wheel wondering what the hell I was gonna do. If she had been telling the truth this whole time, I would hate to sit here and watch her be executed when I could’ve done something to stop it. Thinking quickly, I laid on the horn.
HONK! HONNNNNNNKKK! HONNNNNNNK!
I watched as the shooter quickly tucked his pistol and looked around in confusion. His eyes roamed the lot and of course he didn’t see anyone. He took his pistol back out and pointed it at the back of Rain’s head. Again, I laid on the horn.
HONK! HONNNNNNNKKK! HONNNNNNNK!
His big ass jumped like he’d been startled and placed his pistol back in his waistband. The second guy that was waiting in the passenger seat, jumped out and waved him over to the SUV. The big guy shook his head no and began looking around again. Finally, he’d spotted my car in the parking lot across from them.
Fuck!
I let out a deep breath and hoped that nigga didn’t come over here fucking with me. I didn’t have enough strength to take his big ass on. I knew, just by sight, he would fuck me up and wouldn’t even have to try that hard.
I weighed my options on what my next move should be. I could either run, or stay and face whatever them niggas brought my way. Rain told me that she’d robbed me cause she had no other choice, but I didn’t believe her ass cause it seemed like she was always scheming. She wasn’t always like this. When I’d first met her, I thought I had the perfect girl on my arm. She was smart, sexy, and was always ready to prove why she needed to be on my arm.