Hustling on the Down Low

by MT Pope

  “Damn,” he shook his head. “This is some fucked-up shit.”

  Dre didn’t know anything about the deal Coach and I had because it was on a need-to-know basis with me.

  “Dre, call the chemist now and see how long it’ll take to dissect this wine.”

  Dre pulled out his phone and immediately dialed a number. The conversation was short and to the point.

  Turns out he could get the results back in one to two days. That was enough time for me.

  All I had to do was play the part until I can figure out what I need to do next.

  * * *

  Two days later . . .

  I now had the information that I needed. The wine that my mother was drinking was laced with promethazine, a highly addictive drug that was flooding the streets and can be laced with almost any drink and get you the high that you needed and craved. It was the one that Coach or Ghost was flooding the streets with and making him most of his money. I was fucking pissed, and I wanted to deal with him myself. I wanted kill this bitch dead. My mother is lying in a hospital bed close to death, and it was his fault. He knew what the fuck he was doing all along. This bitch had set all this up. We were pawns and didn’t even know it.

  I had been sitting by my mother’s bedside hoping and praying with my father that she would wake up and things would go back to normal. But something told me that things would never be normal again.

  My phone began to buzz. It was a text message from Coach.

  “Dad, I need to make a call. I’ll be right back.” I tapped him on his shoulder. He had his head in my mother’s lap, asleep, I assumed. I didn’t want to wake him up, but I wanted to alert him of my movements.

  He just nodded his head. It was a nice picture to see. I just wish it was under better circumstances.

  I walked out of the room we were in and into another room. I made sure that it was empty and then closed the door so that I could get some privacy.

  I dialed his number.

  “The ball is moving, and you need to get your father out of the hospital and home,” he ordered.

  “Why?” I answered.

  “That’s none of your fucking business,” he barked.

  “He’s not going to leave my mother’s side for nothing. What do you want me to do?”

  “Find a fucking way to get it done and make sure that he’s alone when he goes. You don’t want to break your father’s heart even more by him finding out his best friend and his son are fucking like rabbits close to extinction.”

  He hung up the phone in my ear. I was pissed, and I didn’t want to do it.

  I walked back into the room, not knowing what to say or do or if I could even get my father to leave the hospital.

  “Dad,” I went over to him and shook him. He slowly lifted his head and looked at me.

  “Dad, go home, shower, and change your clothes. You need it. Mom wouldn’t want you here smelling as bad as you do.” I smiled to try to ease the moment.

  “Nah, I’m good, son.” He lay his head back down.

  “Dad, I’m serious.” I shook him again. “I’ll be here. It won’t take you long to go and come back. Nothing is going to happen while you’re gone. She would want you to.” A few tears fell from my eyes as I mustered up the emotion that was sitting inside of me anyway.

  “You sure?” he rose and looked at me.

  “Dad, I want some time with her alone. That should be enough time.”

  “Okay, I’ll do it only because I know that you’re correct. She wouldn’t want me all over her stinky. She did hate that.” He had a small smile on his face. It was one that I hadn’t seen in a while.

  “Dad, if anything changes, you’ll be the first to know. But I know that you’ll be back in no time.”

  He gathered his things and hurried out of the room. I don’t know what was going to happen, but I knew that it wasn’t good. I just lay my head in the spot that my father just had his head and enjoyed the time alone with my mother as I said I would.

  I texted Coach to let him know that my father had left and was headed home.

  Chapter 64

  Clayton

  Kudos

  I was sitting in my office waiting for my moment. I got information for the bust that was about to happen. Anthony came through for me, and I was having a change of heart. This was the moment I was waiting on. It just didn’t happen the way I planned on it happening.

  There was a knock on my door.

  “Come in,” I ordered.

  “Detective, the task force is ready.”

  “Okay, I’m waiting on the call I need.”

  “Right.” He nodded his head and then left.

  Not more than a few seconds after that I received a text that I was waiting for.

  * * *

  We sat in the garage of one of his neighbors and watched as he parked his car. My heart raced at the sight of it all. This was the move of my career, and it was about to go down. I decided to wait until he got back in his car to leave, because that was where the drugs were planted. There were enough drugs in the trunk to get him jail time so that he would never see the light of day again.

  It took about fifteen minutes for him to come out with a whole new outfit on, and as soon as he hopped in the car, I gave the signal, and we swarmed. He didn’t even give up a fight when we threw him to the ground. It was like he knew that he wasn’t guilty.

  “We got you now. You’re going to jail for a very long time,” I whispered in his ear as they lowered him into the back of the unmarked car. We both watched as the drugs were taken out of his trunk. A look of shock covered his face. I think he knew that he was going down for a long time.

  * * *

  After it was all said and done, I received accolades from the chief of police, and I sat in my office thinking that it was all over after this because of my agreement with Anthony and joining the other side. I was going to be enabling evil. Willingly. That didn’t sit right with me.

  I went home. The home I shared with a man I loved and lusted after but hated what he does on the side for a living.

  “Hey, baby, how was your day?” He greeted me with a kiss on the cheek. He knew how my day was. He was being cynical, and he knew it, but I went with it anyway.

  I just smiled and went toward the kitchen. I was hoping that he was a good house husband and had a meal ready for me since he knew that I was on my way home anyway. I felt like a caged lion being poked. I didn’t like it.

  “I smell food. It smells good.” I put on the act of a doting husband and sat down at the table.

  “Congratulations are in order for the man of the hour. I couldn’t wait until you got home to make you feel like the man that you are.” Joy filled his words as he spoke.

  He had my plate in the oven and pulled it out and set it in front of me. Then he removed the foil, and I saw a dinner fit for a king. I felt like it too. He grabbed his plate and sat down, and we ate together. He talked, I just listened. I didn’t hear much of what he said because my morals were talking louder than anything now. He didn’t stop talking, and I didn’t stop eating.

  Chapter 65

  Avery

  Checkmate

  Three down and one to go.

  Leroy “the competition”? Grant, incarcerated,

  Clayton “the detective,” food poisoning, dead.

  Monica “the wife,” vegetable, soon dead.

  Now I was waiting to put my last piece of the puzzle in place.

  This was the day that I was waiting for. I finally let Corey into the inner sanctum since he was now going to be handing over the other part of the city to me because he wants to live and he wants his lover to live. Besides, he didn’t have a choice. It was mine anyway.

  I sat at my desk as he was guided around the compound by one of my top men.

  “So, did you like what you saw?” I asked him as he came into my private office that most don’t get to see. He was a privileged individual right now. The only reason he was in this room with me is be
cause he reminded me so much of myself. Right now, he was pissed that I had him in a tight spot and there was nothing that he could do about it. I let him meet with all my staff so that he could get used to the surroundings. I was going to offer him a spot on my team since he was in the game already. He was a fresh face and could add to my genius. Besides, I was molding him since day one to be a part of my team.

  “Yes.”

  “That’s all you’re going to say?”

  “What do you want me to say? I’m here against my will, and you want me to be happy about it. Man, fuck you and this.”

  I smiled at his tone. It was uncaring and quite daring. He was mad at the way things transpired, and I am not mad at him. I would be too.

  “Corey, you are mad, and that’s the way that I want you to be. I need you to be mad. This world will dick you around every time. Just be glad that I was the one and not one of the straight liars that pretend to like you and talk shit about you behind your back, waiting for an opportunity to show their true colors and stab you in the back.”

  “Fuck you mean? I should be grateful that you set my father up, and then addicted my mother to some damn drug that has her close to death right now? I should be fucking happy? Happy?”

  He was right where I was when I was his age, and I could relate, except for the fact that both my parents are still alive, but we had the same story.

  “You won’t get this right now, and I’m not expecting you to do so. I just want you to be ruthless and heartless like most of the men. That’s how they operate. I painfully snatched all my recruits off the streets, and now look at the dynasty that I’ve created. You should be grateful that I picked you. Your father got what he deserved. He got off easy. He could be dead right now. That’s what I wanted to do, but I spared you because I liked you. Your mother was just a casualty of war. She wasn’t happy anyway. I was helping her out of her misery. She killed herself. Just like any addict, they think they have it under control, only to end up worse off than before. You see, she was low before I got there. All she needed was something to get her higher. Just think, if your father wasn’t busy chasing after a ghost, then your mother wouldn’t have needed to be chasing the bottle. She put all her time and investment into her family and very little into herself. It didn’t take long for me to come in and get her attention because she was thirsting like a vampire for blood. I just gave her a solution. What she did with it or what it did to her was her problem. You two were her drug of choice for so long; then you just dropped her. I only offered a viable replacement. You have yourselves to blame.”

  He sat there in silence. What could he say? I knew that I was right, and so did he. He had no choice but to agree with me.

  “You’re right. I should be grateful.” He finally spoke up. I was glad that he agreed with me.

  Chapter 66

  Corey

  All the King’s Men

  I sat at a long table that resembled one from a corporation board meeting. There were seven chairs that sat on both sides of the table. The room was decorated with a few celebrity pictures, mainly boxers and rap artists. My father loved boxing and rap in his spare time. There were two big-screen televisions on both walls opposite Dre and me.

  I had a drink of liquor in front of me. Dre had a cigar that was burning in front of him. It was just me at one end and Dre at the other end. I was in one of my father’s business buildings that had a disguise of a legitimate business in the front of it. There was an army waiting on us in cars. I looked at Dre in his eyes, and he did the same. Behind my eyes were thoughts of my father and my mother. Thoughts of the man that I trusted and was fooled by. There was some pain behind my eyes. I wanted to ball up in a fetal position and not get up. But I didn’t cry. It would be a letdown for both of my parents. Neither one of them were weak or gave in easily. They were the epitome of strength. They made me who I was today. Dre looked fearless and ready to do what had to be done. I was glad to have him by my side. My ride or die, as they say.

  “You ready to do this shit?” I asked Dre, and then gulped down the liquor I had in my glass. After that, I placed the glass back on the table. It made a noise as it hit the table that echoed throughout the room.

  “My hands been itching for a minute now. I have payback on my mind. He did my peoples dirty, so now I must return some dirt back to his front door. Oh yeah, I’m ready for this shit.” He puffed on his cigar a couple more times after he talked, and then put it out in the ashtray.

  I stood up, then he followed suit. Dre was dressed up like he worked for the police task force. I’ve seen him in action before, and I trusted him with my back.

  “Let’s go get this muthafucka!”

  I exited the room, and he followed me a few minutes later. I hopped in the car and made my way to the destination I was headed to. Dre had all the information that I had, so he followed me along with trucks that had a small army spread throughout them. I’m sure that there would be casualties on both sides. I prayed that it wasn’t Dre or myself. We planned how we thought it would, and should, go and had plans if it didn’t. I just prayed that I didn’t die trying to avenge my family. And if Dre died, I would truly be lost. I mean, I have my uncles on my mother’s side, but I wasn’t as close to them as I was with Dre. I pulled up to my destination, and then breathed in and let it out.

  “This is it,” I said, and then got out of the car.

  * * *

  “You know, Coach, I’m so glad that you picked me because I didn’t know what to do with this life, and I wasn’t sure until a few days ago. I want to be a kingpin. I want what you have. I want what my father gave me, and I’m not going to just hand it over to you like you thought I would. You say I should be afraid of you, and for a long time, I was. But what was I afraid of? You? Nah, you don’t exist. You’re a ghost, remember? You’re dead to this world and to all the people that you mattered to when you were born. So right now, I’m going to give you a choice. Do you want to live or die?”

  He laughed at me before he spoke, but that was cool. He didn’t take me seriously, and most wouldn’t since I’m just a young black dude needing something to do with his life.

  “You had it all figured out about me and my family, right? We were sitting ducks waiting to be taken out. Now, you’re looking at me with a smile on your face, and you’re probably thinking that I’m crazy too. I was a pawn to you. A come up, as we young people say. Not anymore. How about you were the pawn I was looking for? You have a ready-made kingdom for the taking. All because I reminded you of yourself. Ha! All I have to do is unite the two and have my way.” I laughed at the now-serious look on his face.

  “You have lost your fucking mind if you think that you can, and will, sit in my presence and talk to me like that. All it takes is one button and you’re dead. My men will swarm in like locusts.”

  “You think so? I would check that fact first. Go ahead and push the button . . . and see who dies,” I dared him. He pushed a button on his desk . . . but nothing happened. I knew that it wouldn’t. His men, now my men, were long gone. You see, most people are only loyal to themselves in the end. And when you throw in more of what they are getting from one man, they almost immediately reconsider their options. Guns in their faces and a few dead comrades in front of them doesn’t help either. They say money is a motivator, and it worked very well with many of these guys. I gave them options of getting out and some left, but the majority had nowhere else to go. A sad reality is that Ghost used these guys’ desperation and hopelessness to fuel his empire, and it worked. That is not how I wanted to run my empire. Willing workers have less of a chance of doing you dirty. Of course, there will be ones who try. It comes with the territory.

  “I don’t hear anyone coming. Does it usually take that long for results with you?” I said and then laughed.

  He looked furious, but he didn’t say a thing.

  “What the fuck is going on?” he hopped out of his chair and lunged toward me. Just before he got to me, the door to his office burst
open and Dre came in with his gun in hand. One shot to the arm propelled Coach backward and to the floor.

  “That was cutting it close, Dre. This bitch was about to off my ass.”

  “I got this, babe.” He leaned in and kissed me on the lips. It was our first kiss in front of someone else. It was powerful at that very moment, but I was concentrated on the task at hand.

  “You fucking ingrate. I trusted you. I made you. You were just a faggot playing sports, and I picked your ass up and dusted you off. You won’t be able to handle this city like I was going to. You too weak. Just like your father. Look at you and this punk bitch acting like you all in love. Love is a weakness.”

  “Shut up, bitch. How the fuck do you know about love when you gave up on it so early on? You never gave it a chance. You were already loved the day you were born. You just wanted it the way you wanted it, and no other way. You saw some images that you didn’t like it and created a war on a world that doesn’t care about anyone other than itself. That’s why I’m going to give it all that it wants, one person at a time. I’m going with the flow of the world.

  “Pick this piece of shit up off the floor,” I instructed a few of the men that followed Dre in here. They did as they were instructed and placed him in the chair that he was originally sitting in.

  “So this is how this is going to play out. I’m going to repeat this nursery rhyme to you and see if you can follow where I’m going with this. Ready?

  “Humpty Dumpty sat on a wall, Humpty Dumpty had a great fall. All the king’s horses and all the king’s men couldn’t put Humpty together again. You see were I’m going with this yet?”

  “Fuck you,” he spat in my direction.

  “Okay, so you do get it. Every king has a high time and a low time. A wall and a fall. You had your wall and now your fall. And your men are surrounded by mine, so they can’t help you. Now, I’m going to have you dismembered and spread out all over the city as retribution for your crimes. I’ve always loved that nursery rhyme. Never thought that I would have to use it in such a way, though.” I laughed. He looked pissed. He had it all worked out except for the end. We never do.