by Meesha
“Nihiyah! You better not hang up! Tell me what the fuck you want, shit.”
Nihiyah was older than me but since we were younger, she always spent her money faster than she got it. I was her go to person when she needed something because she knew my mom wasn’t giving her irresponsible ass anything. Now that we were adults, nothing has changed. She was still the same, money hungry and manipulative.
“I needed two hundred dollars to pay my rent that I’m short. Calling you was my last resort because mommy said she didn’t have it.”
“Sis. I don’t have two hundred dollars. I had to pay my bills for the month. Why can’t you get the money from one of the dudes you fuckin’ with?” I asked with irritation.
“Because I’m asking you! Do me a favor and get it from Mauricio,” she said nonchalantly.
Looking down at the phone, I couldn’t believe she thought I was going to ask somebody else for money so I could give it to her. Then again, I could. My sister didn’t give a fuck about anyone but herself.
“Number seventy-six,” the girl behind the counter called out.
I nodded my head letting her know I heard her and went back to talking with my selfish ass sister. “Nihiyah, I will not ask Ricio or anyone else for money to give to you. When are you gonna get a damn job? I can’t keep giving you my hard-earned money every month. Shit you may as well be a dependent on my fuckin’ taxes.”
“All you had to say was no, Nija. You could have saved your little speech for one of your welfare recipients.” She said hanging up in my face.
As I walked to the counter to grab the bag that held our food, I dropped my phone in my purse. “Thank you.” I called out to the girl that was prepping trays of bread. I thought about what Nihiyah said before she hung up. She needed to come down to the office and get her some damn assistance instead of downing those that’s receiving it.
“Have a good day.” She called back at me.
Realizing Ricio never came into the restaurant, I looked out the window and didn’t see him. I got closer to the truck and realized he was sitting inside nodding his head to the music. His lady friend must’ve left because I didn’t see her lurking. Opening the back door on the passenger side, I put the food on the floor. I got in the truck and buckled my seatbelt as Ricio put the car in reverse.
“What did you get me to eat?” he asked.
“I got you a catfish and chicken dinner with double spaghetti instead of cole slaw and two extra pieces of fish. I know what you like and dislike, Ricio.”
“I know you do. Why are you all snappy and shit?” he asked.
“I’m not being snappy. I’m hungry, can we just go to my house please?”
Backing out the parking space, we made a left onto 79th street and headed eastbound to King Drive. Ricio paused at the stop sign on Indiana when a black Impala pulled on the side of us on the driver’s side. I thought the car was turning but it didn’t. The window came down as Ricio turned his head to look at the car. All I saw was a barrel of a big ass gun. The bullets started hitting the car and I immediately held my head between my legs to avoid getting hit.
“These muthafuckas are bold as fuck!” Ricio screamed as he pushed his foot down on the gas and peeled off.
The glass in the truck didn’t shatter and Ricio didn’t appear worried at all, he just kept speeding away. He cut the corner turning southbound onto to Calumet Street. He hit 80th at top speed and made a right. I knew he was trying to get to the expressway but the Impala was still behind us.
“Ricio who the fuck was that?” I asked sitting up looking out the back window. “They are still behind us! I’m so scared.” I said starting to cry.
“Don’t worry, Ni. We are good as long as we are in this truck, it’s bulletproof. I have to shake these niggas because they will only keep coming for us.”
We were coming up on State Street and the light was red. Ricio floored the truck and I prayed that we didn’t get hit by another car. His head shot to the left to see what traffic looked like and headed forward full speed. Making it across the intersection gave him the time to get his gun out of his waistband. The Impala was gaining on us.
The driver rammed his car into the back of the truck but Ricio kept going. At Vincennes Street the light was red. He stopped the truck and threw it in park. Jumping out with a gun in each hand, Ricio caught the shooters off guard because they weren’t expecting him to get out. He fired so many shots that I lost count.
When I looked out the rear window, I noticed both of the men were slumped over in their seats. Ricio ran back to the truck, threw the car in drive, and sped away. We got onto the expressway and my heart was pounding. He reached for his phone and made a call. The call connected and Sosa’s voice came through the car speakers.
“Ricio, what’s good?”
“The muthafuckas came at my head on the Nine, brah. I’m pissed because I got Ni with me. I’m trying to figure out how them niggas knew where I was. I don’t even hang in that area or conduct business over there. This shit is a mystery to me.”
“Who the fuck did they send for you, brah?” he asked. I could tell he was mad because he was yelling and breathing hard.
“Punk ass Luke and that pussy Rell. Them niggas won’t be able to tell nobody they came at me though. I slumped both of them niggas. That’s what the fuck gon’ happen every muthafuckin’ time they send these weak bitches for me. But I got something for em, they have really started some shit now. I’m on my way to you, I’ll be there in a minute.”
“Bet. Be careful Ricio, and I’ll see you when you get here.” He said disconnecting the call.
The ride was silent for about five miles. I looked at the guns that laid in his lap and closed my eyes. I said a silent prayer for God to make sure that Ricio and his brothers were covered. Opening my eyes, I glanced over at Ricio and he looked as if he was in deep thought.
“Ni, I’m sorry that shit happened while you were in the truck. The last thing I want is for you to be caught in the middle of my bullshit. This is between my brothers and I, along with Floyd and Big Jim. They started something that I planned to follow through with until they’re all dead. I’ll understand if you don’t want to fuck with me until this shit is over.” he said without taking his eyes off the road.
“Ricio, I’m going to stand by you because I have to look out for you, amongst other things. I am scared for all of you but y’all got to do what has to be done. Big Jim was dead wrong for what he did and revenge is top priority. I want you to come up with a solid game plan and do what you gotta do. Those assholes would’ve shot and killed me if this truck didn’t stop the bullets.”
“That was too close to your house, Ni. I want you to stay with me until I find out how they knew where the fuck I was. It’s not debatable so don’t try it.” he said doing ninety all the way to Sosa’s house.
Ricio pulled up in Sosa’s driveway and hopped out. I opened the door and stepped down out of the truck. The door to the house opened and Sosa was standing with an evil look on his face. I went to the back to get the food out the back but Ricio had already grabbed it. My appetite was gone but I hadn’t eaten all day. Walking up the steps, Sosa stepped back so I could enter his home.
“Are you okay, Nija?” he asked.
I glanced up at him and nodded my head yes as I made my way to the kitchen. Ricio walked in talking to Sosa and I caught the ass end of what he was saying. “I’m killing them niggas!” he said as he sat the bag on the table in front of me. He went to the sink and washed his hands then grabbed a couple of plates transferring the food. He put mine in the microwave first and turned back to Sosa.
“Where is Max?”
“He’s in the back blowing something. I asked him if they tried to contact him, he said Floyd had been calling and sending threatening messages but he hasn’t responded. What’s the plan, brah?” Sosa asked.
“We going to see them niggas tonight! That’s what the fuck we gon’ do!” Ricio yelled.
“Ricio, I don’t t
hink that’s a good idea.” I said in a shaky voice.
“It wasn’t a good idea for them to come for me the way they did either. I’m about to show them that my heart don’t pump pussy for no muthafuckin’ body! They came for the right one at the wrong time,” he said as the microwave chimed.
He grabbed my food and sat it in front of me along with a fork. I was having a hard time eating because I was concentrating on the call he was on. Ricio was really gearing up to go to war. Sosa was bringing out so many guns, I thought I was in a gun shop. My heart was beating fast because I didn’t know what the outcome was going to be.
“Nija, eat please. I am going to take you to my crib when you’re done. I need to be back when the crew gets here because I got to handle this shit.” He said sitting next to me.
I hadn’t eaten anything on my plate. The only thing I could do was push the food around. Ricio took the fork from my hand and scooped up some spaghetti and held it to my mouth. Accepting it, I chewed slowly but I didn’t know what it tasted like. He followed it up with a piece of the perch fish that I ordered for myself. That man sat and fed me like a toddler until all of the food was gone.
“Now we can leave. You can have my food for later so you won’t have to cook.” He said as he got up to take the plate to the sink. “Sosa, I’m about to run Ni to the crib and I’ll be back.”
“Aight, cool,” he said as Max walked through the patio door.
“What’s the plan, Ricio? I’m going so don’t say I’m not. You could’ve been killed and I want to lay a couple of them niggas down myself. It would be right up my alley to hit Floyd’s ass.”
Ricio stood thinking for a minute before he spoke. “I’m going to give you the opportunity to ride with us. Don’t try to be a muthafuckin’ hero, listen to the orders that we present, aight?”
“I hear ya, brah. I just want to give them niggas what they deserve and that’s to die around this bitch.” He said.
“Be ready when I get back.” Ricio said grabbing my hand leading me to the door.
It took us twenty minutes to get to his condo, he was speeding the entire way. We pulled into the garage and he cut the truck off and got out. Following his lead, we both stood quietly waiting on the elevator. The ride up was so silent I could hear both of us breathing. Letting myself into his place, I went straight to his bedroom and sat on the end of the bed. The thought of him being shot came to mind and the tears started streaming down my cheeks.
“Ni, everything is gon’ be good. Stop all that crying. The last thing I needed to worry about is you sitting here crying.” He said pulling me into his arms.
“I don’t want anything to happen to you, I can’t help crying. Promise you are coming back.” I said wailing into his chest.
He ran his hand up and down my back trying to console me. Mauricio let out a deep breath, pushed me back a little bit and lifted my chin with his finger. He lowered his head and kissed me passionately on the lips. He raised up and wiped the tears from my eyes with his thumb.
“I promise I’ll be back, Ni. I don’t want you to worry. I love you, ma.” He took his chain from around his neck and placed it over my head. “I’ll be back for that, don’t try to pawn my shit before I get back.” He said kissing me again before he left out the room.
I took off my shoes and crawled into his bed and snuggled with the pillow he slept on. I took in his scent and the tears soaked the pillowcase because I had a bad feeling shit was going to go wrong.
Chapter 14
Mauricio
Leaving my house was hard because I wanted to stay longer to make sure Ni would be alright. I couldn’t though because I had shit to do. There was no way I was about to let this shit go like it was nothing. I had to clapback, it was mandatory. Letting these niggas think shit was sweet wasn’t what I was going to do. Yeah, I left two of their niggas deader than a phone with no juice, but that was on them for coming for a real muthafucka.
I’ve been thanking my father since that first bullet made contact and bounced off the truck. I swear I forgot I was in the bulletproof truck and knew I was a goner. The only reason I was trying to get away so tough was because Nija was scared as hell. Getting her out of harm’s way was my first priority. But when that nigga rammed into the back of the truck, that was it.
When I slammed on the brakes and grabbed my bitches off my lap, I saw nothing but red. Holding both of my tools in each hand, I rolled up on them niggas and emptied the clips. I didn’t care who saw the shit I had done, I didn’t give a damn about the police, and now, I don’t give a fuck what happened next.
Arriving back to Sosa’s crib, I saw the cars of all my niggas parked in the driveway and along the sidewalk. We were set on go to get at the niggas that had every intention of killing my black ass. The two punks that I had to lay down were ones that I used to school about the game. I took them under my wing out in the streets and they followed the orders of a pussy ass nigga and stopped breathing. I didn’t feel bad because that’s the choice they made. It was either them or me.
Turning the key in the lock, I opened the door and walked deeper into the house. The sight before me was good to see. Psycho and Felon were cleaning guns, AK was cradling his bitch Precious and rubbing her down with a cloth, Max was sitting on the couch looking paranoid, Fats were making sure the bulletproof vests were in tiptop shape, Butta was sitting back eating a damn sandwich, and Sosa was lacing up his Timbs.
Everybody was in black from head to toe. Me myself, had on all grey and I wasn’t changing. I wanted them to see me coming. This was not a sneak move, this was Mauricio coming to fuck shit up.
“What up my nigga? You ready to do this shit?” Butta asked with a mouthful of food.
“Yeah, I’m ready to roll out. I thought about some shit while I was standing here watching y’all gear up for action. Their shipment is scheduled to come in today.” I said looking at my watch. “It’s supposed to be at the warehouse in about an hour. Floyd ain’t smart enough to have changed the date and time because we are no longer working with him. That is where we are headed, whoever the fuck is there to pick up the load, that’s who the fuck getting laid down. I don’t care who it is.” I said looking around.
“Are you saying we are going to steal their load?” Fats asked with his arms folded over his chest.
“I don’t care what happens to that shit, I don’t want it. The only thing I want is blood.”
“Why would we go to the warehouse and hit they ass if we ain’t getting shit out of it?” Butta asked.
“That’s because these muthafuckas came for my head! The nigga they take orders from killed my fuckin’ father! Every time I think about it, one of those niggas gon’ die! Are you down or not? If not, get the fuck out, now!”
“Ricio calm down. everybody in this room has been riding with us forever. We are with you and not against you. Ain’t nobody leaving because we all are rolling out of this bitch in a minute.” Sosa snapped on me. “If you niggas want to take that shit, so be it. We don’t need it. I won’t try to stop y’all from doing whatever you want to do.” He said looking at Fats.
I stood waiting to see if anyone had anything else to say. All I heard were clips snapping in place, and bullets being put in the chamber. I walked to the closet and grabbed four clips for my bitches and ejected the two empty ones before putting in the loaded ones. Slipping the extra clips into my pockets, I was ready to go find the people that wanted me dead.
Leading the way out of the crib, I went straight to the Navigator and jumped in the backseat. Fats knew that he would be driving because that’s what he was best at. Don’t get it wrong, his fat ass could handle a pistol with the best of them. It was his perfected driving skills that deemed him the getaway driver.
Butta was driving his own truck because that nigga wanted a place to stash all the dope he planned to take from the warehouse. He was on his own with that shit. I had no plans of stealing that bunk shit Floyd and Big Jim was selling. Once everyone was situated in the truck,
Fats put the petal to the metal and I was in kill a nigga mode.
“When we get close to the warehouse, I want you to park a block away. We gon’ run up on these muthafuckas and they not gon’ know what the fuck hit em. I don’t give a fuck who is there, I want all of y’all to go in blastin’! Won’t be no talkin’, none! Make all of them eat lead! This is the start of getting justice for Reese Williams! The Renegade Boys is about to run this shit. That means, we have to lay all of them down by blood and strippin’ their muthafuckin’ pockets! Y’all ready to do this shit?”
“Hell yeah! Justice for Reese!” Psycho yelled.
Everybody else followed suit and we were all amped up, except Max. He was quieter than a church mouse and Sosa picked up on it first. He turned around in the seat and stared at him for a couple seconds.
“Max, you good?” Sosa asked him.
“Do we have to kill them?”
I thought my hearing was going bad because I knew damned well I didn’t hear him say that bullshit. This muthafucka was still trying to save the enemy. The same enemy that murdered our father. I was already pissed, at that moment, I was beyond the point.
“What the fuck you mean, do we have to kill them? Hell yeah, they gotta die!” I damn near jumped over the seat to punch his ass. “My question to you is, what the fuck is they holding over yo’ head?” I said grabbing him by the front of his shirt. His whole demeanor was different from earlier at the house.
Nobody tried to stop me because the way he was talking, he was trying to protect them and he had nobody backing him. AK and was grilling his ass waiting to hear his response. All Max did was stared back. He still refused to tell the big secret he was holding on to.
“They don’t have shit on me!” he said trying to loosen my grip. “I told y’all them niggas threatened to kill me! You want me to die, Ricio? That’s what’s gon’ happen if I tell you what I know.” He confessed.
“They can’t do shit to you as long as you got us standing in front of you! I would take the muthafuckin’ bullet for you and I will eliminate everybody, including Big Jim. When this shit is over, you will tell me what the fuck is going on!” I said letting him go. “Right now, it’s time to make these tools clap. All I want to smell is gun smoke and all of us will live to see another day. Ain’t no dying going on tonight. Get ready, because we pulling up.” I said reaching for my guns and sitting down.