by Meesha
There he was trying to play the big brother role again, I wasn’t trying to hear that shit. I didn’t attempt to respond to his last message. I was still mad about what transpired in the past couple of days. I’d get with him on another day, it just wouldn’t be at that time.
“Aight John John, I’m outta this bitch. I’ll holla at ya later.” I said dapping him up.
“Where you off to?” he asked looking down the street.
“I’m heading over to Madysen’s crib so she can stop trippin’ and shit. You already know how she is, man.” I said walking down the steps.
“Aye, you talked to your brother?” he asked standing up.
“Nah, I texted him but he didn’t respond.” I said when I turned around. They were on Ricio hard as fuck. Maybe I did need to go holla at that nigga and get the full story. “I’ll make sure to let him know that y’all looking for him when I do hear from him. Be easy, fam.” I said heading to my whip.
As I neared the driver’s side, a fiend named Slim walked up and I sold him my last three bags. “Hey young blood, watch yourself out here, shit ain’t all it seems to be. Take it from me, I’ve been out here a long time and I respected yo’ daddy. Remember, snakes move in silence and attack when you least expect it.” he said and walked off.
I didn’t know what he meant by that but it had me thinking hard. I opened the door to my whip and decided to go back to Sosa’s crib. Stopping at the stoplight, I shuffled through my playlist on my phone to find some music to listen to. I settled on the Todays R&B and Hip-Hop station on Pandora. Prodigal Sunn’s “Betrayal” blasted through the speakers. Keep your eyes on your back, and your face on your stacks. Some living for the lie, while others die for the game. You catch these slugs, engraved with your name. First Mauricio, then Slim, now an unknown source was trying to tell me something. I needed to pay attention to all the signs. The light changed as I placed the phone in the cup holder.
As I merged onto I-290, I glanced in the rearview mirror and saw a black SUV a couple cars behind me. It looked like Shake’s truck but I wasn’t sure. When I changed lanes, so did the truck. Driving as normal as possible, I signaled to get over so I could get on the Dan Ryan expressway. Heading southbound, the truck was still tailing me. I decided to get off the expressway at 39th and hit Madysen’s crib. When I signaled to get over to make my exit, the SUV did the same. At that moment, I knew I was being followed.
I pulled in front of Madysen’s building and parked my ride. The SUV kept going down the street and I was certain it was Shake. I got a good look at his license plate. I just didn’t know the point of him following me. Going straight to Madysen’s spot was a wise choice because in my mind, I knew they were hoping I led them to my brother.
Getting out, I walked to the door and rang her bell repeatedly. “Who the fuck is it?” Madysen screamed into the intercom.
“It’s me babe, open up.” I said looking around to make sure nobody was sneaking up on my ass.
The door buzzed releasing the lock and I hurriedly went inside. As I took the steps two at a time to the third floor, the words Slim spoke invaded my thoughts. For the life of me I couldn’t put together exactly what he was trying to tell me. Making a mental note to holla at him and find out what he knew, as I walked down the hall.
Madysen was standing with the door open when I walked up. She looked sexy as hell without trying with her little booty shorts, a tight fitted tank, and a pair of fuzzy house shoes on her feet. I loved this girl but she needed to stop nagging me.
“Why were you ringing my bell like that, Max?” She asked closing the door behind me.
“I gotta shit, my bad.” I said rushing to the bathroom.
I didn’t have to use the bathroom at all. A nigga was nervous and needed answers. Mauricio said he didn’t want to discuss anything over the phone but I had to see what was up. Shake wasn’t following me for nothing, they were out for blood. I pulled my phone off my hip and pressed on Ricio’s name. Waiting for him to pick up, I started biting my nails. That was something I hadn’t done since my parents died.
“What up, Max?” his voice boomed through the phone.
“Bro, what the fuck going on? I was on my way to y’all but I had to make a detour to Madysen’s crib because Shake was following me. Did you call them?”
“Hell nawl, I didn’t call them niggas. They gon’ see me!”
“Shake making it seem like you stole from them, tell me you ain’t trying to take their money, Ricio.” I said nervously.
“Nigga are you serious? You ain’t never known me to take shit that didn’t belong to me. They gon’ get their money then I’m done with them mufuckas, and you are too.”
“Ricio, I don’t have shit to do with whatever beef y’all got going on. Their problem is with you, not me. I gotta get this money, bro. I can’t stop doing this shit, a regular job is not for me. This fast money—”
“Shut the fuck up! You saying too much over these airwaves. Are you staying with Madysen tonight?”
“I wasn’t planning on staying here, why?”
“Sit tight for the night. I’m making plans to pay them niggas a visit and I don’t want you out in these streets. You should’ve stayed and listened Max, but I will fill you in, I promise. But listen to me bro, stay away from Floyd and the rest of the crew. They are about to gun for us hard with the information I laid on Big Jim. I need you to lay low for me, okay?”
“I hear you, Ricio. I will stay here, but you have to tell me everything.”
“Don’t worry, I will. Keep your phone on. As a matter of fact, in an hour, I want you and Madysen to leave her crib for the night. Go to a hotel downtown or some shit, they know where you are. Wait for my call because you are gon’ have to come to my crib until we can get you another spot. Shit is about to get hot, brah.”
“I’m not understanding any of this, man. Why I can’t go to my own crib?”
“They know where you lay yo’ head! Yo’ ass still live in Big Jim’s shit! I can’t say anything else because we on the phone. Just do what I say and stop asking questions. If yo’ hot headed ass would’ve listened, you would already know what the fuck is going on! In one hour, get the fuck outta there!” he said hanging up the phone.
Chapter 8
Big Jim
As I was escorted back to my cell, I was mad as fuck. Mauricio had heart like his daddy and he came at me like a boss. There hadn’t been a nigga that had the balls to speak to me the way he did in years. I loved the challenge though. The plans were forming in my head with every step I took back to the unit. His bitch ass spooked me with the shit he’d said, that was shit I thought died when Reese’s bitch ass stopped breathing.
Yeah, I had that nigga’s wig pushed back. It was because of the way he constantly came at me like I was his bitch. Reese fed me good, don’t get me wrong. But I felt I wasn’t getting what I was rightfully due. Working my ass off in the streets of Chicago for his ass and he was the one reaping a bigger chunk of the muthafuckin’ benefits.
Reese was living the life I wanted and he was preventing me from getting there. About six months before I took his life, he came to me and we were chilling when he told me he was getting out of the game. That was music to my ears because I knew that he was passing the shit down to me. I had been his right-hand man and knew how to run his operation just like he taught me. I was the nigga in charge when he took his family on vacation for weeks at a time. It was me that was putting the product in the hands of the workers. The only thing I didn’t know was who the connect was.
“I’m tired of this shit, Big. I have enough money to live my best life out here. I’m getting out, nigga. My kids are getting older and I want them to make something out of themselves. Getting them prepared for this fucked up world is what I want to do without having to watch my back. I want to be here to enjoy the grandbabies that I know will be coming sooner than later.”
“What are you trying to say, Reese. Stop beating around the bush, nigga.” I said sipping th
e cognac I poured minutes before his arrival.
“I’m done, Big. I’m getting out of the game.”
“What the fuck is going to happen to the mufuckas that’s been riding with you all these years? Reese I’ve been in your corner from day one.”
“Calm yo ass down, Big. I’m gon’ front you enough bricks to help you get this money on yo’ own. How you maintain that shit is all on you. I think you would be able to make a name for yourself without me. I’ll keep you posted on shit once I get everything together. You won’t have to worry about shit for a minute anyway. I got you though.”
I wasn’t about to sit back watching him continue to make money out the ass and I was still struggling with what I was making. The way I was splurging on shit was the reason my money wasn’t sitting high, but Reese did the same shit without a worry in the world. That’s how I wanted to live my life so I started skimming off the nigga’s money and product. He had so much money that he didn’t know the shit was missing, so I thought.
Mauricio came in dropping shit in my lap that he couldn’t possibly know about and it had me wondering if Reese really told him. How though, was what I needed to find out. When I reached my cell, my cellie was chilling in the top bunk. I needed his ass to get the fuck out so I could make a few calls without him hearing what I was talking about.
“Yo, homie. Go watch tv or something, I got some shit I gotta do in here for a minute.” I said as I walked in.
“Damn BJ, I was resting for a minute, a nigga tired.”
“What the fuck I tell you about calling me that bullshit? My name is Big Jim, nigga. Do I look like a little ass boy running around this muthafucka? Get the fuck out!”
He scrambled to get down and hurried out the door. I got my phone out of my hiding spot and dialed up Floyd. When he answered I heard his ass moan in the phone and a slurping sound in the background. “Nigga, pull yo’ dick from between that bitch’s cheeks! We got some shit to talk about now!”
“Damn, Big hold on, I’m almost there!” he moaned in the phone.
“I don’t have time for this shit! Tell that hoe to pause and get the fuck up! When I’m finished with yo’ ass you can resume that shit. Right now, that’s not a top priority!”
“Aaaaarrrrgghh, yeah.”
His ass didn’t listen for shit! I couldn’t be mad because I don’t think I would’ve been able to stop a bitch from making me pop my top on command either. Putting the phone down, I waited five minutes before I picked it back up. I heard the female in the background trying to figure out who was on the phone.
“Who the fuck is it, Floyd?”
“Get the fuck out, Donna! I have business to discuss. As a matter of fact, go in there and cook me something to eat before I slap the fuck outta yo’ ass. I don’t know how many times I gotta tell you about questioning me!”
A door slammed before he got back on the phone. “Big you there, man? My bad for that. You caught me at a bad time.”
“Fuck all that! Mauricio just left and he knows about the mission. He knows shit that he ain’t supposed to know, you haven’t been running your mouth, have you?”
“I know damn well you didn’t just ask me that shit, Big! Me saying something would be equivalent with me telling on my damn self! I’m gon’ need you to calm the fuck down and tell me what’s up.”
“You know I can’t tell you everything over this phone. Is that nigga current on payments?”
“Nah, he hasn’t brought his money in from his load for the week. Should I be worried?” he asked.
“I don’t know where his mind is right now. Call that nigga and tell him to bring my money. Keep yo’ eyes open because he was in here like a replica of Reese. His ass was disrespectful as fuck but the shit he knew, he claimed he heard from his daddy. I think the lil nigga’s going crazy but the shit he talked about was on point.”
“I got this out here, Big. Don’t worry about shit. I will lay his ass down if I need to, give the word. I’m about to call this nigga and see what’s up, I’ll call you back.”
“Okay, cool. Get at me.” I said ending the call.
I laid back on my bunk and closed my eyes and opened them quickly. The image of Reese was front and center and I hadn’t seen that shit since the first week after me killing him. He stalked my black ass for months in my sleep but I knew he couldn’t do anything to me from where he was.
I took my tablet from under my pillow and put on some music so I could think. My lawyer had to get shit moving on my case so I could get the hell out of this prison. It’s been damn near a year and I wanted out. I’d polluted the streets with crack, but I got knocked for hitting a nigga upside his head. It wasn’t my fault the nigga was too weak to take a punch and died. I was protecting myself, it’s called self-defense.
Listening to Tupac’s “Only God Can Judge Me”, thinking about all the shit that I had endured in my life. I let my eyes close waiting on Floyd to get back to me. I don’t know how long I had been laying there but I felt my phone vibrate on the side of me. I grabbed it and saw that it was damn near eight o’clock and Floyd was just calling back.
“What up?” I said in a low tone. I didn’t have long to talk because the guards would be in to count soon. The last thing I needed was to get caught on this phone.
“I’ve been calling Mauricio since I got off the phone with you and he’s still not answering. I went by the trap on 26th and they haven’t seen him all day. When I asked about Sosa, they said they hadn’t seen him either. With that being said, he still hasn’t been through with yo’ paper. Shake and John John saw Max earlier but he said something about him and his brothers beefing. He’s not fucking with them at all right now.”
“Use that nigga to get to them. He is gullible as hell and he will fall right into the trap. As a matter of fact, I’ll hit him up myself. He still looks up to a nigga, unlike his punk ass brother.”
“Shake followed him when he left the trap on Independence, but he went to his broad crib over on 39th and Calumet. Shake was hoping he led him to Ricio but he didn’t. Where do them nigga’s live, Big? I went over to the crib where Ricio used to stay and a whole other family lives there. The apartment Sosa used to live in has been vacant for six months. Max is the only one still living in the same spot because it belongs to you and his ass don’t have to pay shit.”
“I don’t know about any of that. When I got locked up, I never thought to contact them about anything other than my money. Shit, yo’ ass is out there with them, why you don’t know?”
“When I see them it’s always at the traps or they are at my crib. I don’t fuck with their young asses like that, I’m a grown ass man. The only thing I’m worried about is if all the money accounted for. Anything else is not my concern.”
“Floyd, I need you to find out where they are hiding out. I want my money from that muthafucka tonight! I gotta go because I hear them getting ready to count. Holla at me when you hear something, hit me with a text and I’ll call you back.” I said hanging up.
Mauricio was clever. He had to have been thinking about all this shit for some time because he definitely had his ducks in a row. Who moves out of their crib without giving anyone notice? Somebody that’s got plans that he’s ready to execute. He has to wake up early as hell to try to come for my shit, I wasn’t giving nothing up without a fight. My crew was going to ride with me even if I was wrong, including Max.
I had been telling him a lot of shit that may have him looking at his brother’s crazy. Letting him know that his brother thought he was soft and wasn’t built for the streets. That pushed him out in the streets deeper than I anticipated but it paid off for me because he was one of my top workers. Max could handle a gun with the best of them and I made that happen by taking him to the gun range three times a week for the past four years. I taught him everything he needed to know about the streets and drugs.
Reese didn’t want his sons to have anything to do with the drug game. They weren’t my kids to raise but I didn’t have a problem w
ith grooming them into dope boys. That was the only way they were going to sleep under my roof, they had to work for their keep.
All three of them had money from the house, cars, and dope that their parents left behind. I didn’t let them know about any of that shit. Reese owed me that money for all the years of work I’d put in. Besides, they couldn’t trip over something they knew nothing about. As far as they knew, working for me was the only way to go.
I wasn’t so sure about that now, Mauricio knew too much. There was no telling what else he had in his possession. Time would tell and all I could do was sit back until I got the call from Floyd. My cellie came back and went to the commode. This nigga waited all day to come in this muthafucka to shit.
“Yo ass better flush with every fuckin’ turd too, nigga! Don’t nobody want to smell that bullshit!” I bellowed out to his ass.
“I’m not trying to hear that shit! My stomach was boiling so I came in to release the shit. Come on man, let me take care of my business in peace!”
“Carter! Matthews! What the hell y’all hollering about tonight? You two should gone down to the chapel and get married. Y’all sound like an old married couple every damn day. Keep that shit down because I don’t want to have to come back in here.” Officer Thomas said in his southern drawl.
“You counted two niggas in this bitch, now get the fuck out.” I gritted at his punk ass.
I couldn’t stand his white ass. he always had something to say and he always said that shit like he had authority. I didn’t give a fuck about him being a guard, I would beat his ass. I tried my best not to let the shit he said bother me, but I didn’t know how long I would be able to hold off.
“Thomas, get the fuck out of my house! Why do we have to go through this shit every night? Get out!”
“I’m going, but I’ll be back at eleven, boy.” He said laughing.
“I ain’t ya boy, bitch. When you come back you better count from the door and leave your pale ass right back out.” I said turning over facing the wall.