Gangsta

by Foye, K'wan

Gutter was brought out of his thoughts by a flicker of movement in the corner of his eye. With reflexes born from years of street training, he dove to his left and pulled his gat in one motion. Just as Gutter hit the ground rolling, a hail of bullets ripped through the car he had been standing next to a second prior. As Gutter got to his feet, he saw two young men wearing red scarves over their faces charging at him. Gutter's brain screamed out a warning, "BLOODS!" The first Blood raised his Mac10 to let off another burst, but Gutter beat him to the punch. Gutter let off two quick shots, and both hit their mark. The Blood dropped his gun and howled in pain as the first shot slammed into the meat of his thigh, and the second shattered his cheek bone.

  Gutter took a second to admire his handy work, and that second cost him dearly. As he tried to move out of the second attacker's line of fire, he got hit. The bullet slammed into his stomach and sent him flying backward through the window of a dry cleaners.

  As Gutter tried to get to his feet, he was greeted by two more bullets. One struck him in the arm, the other hit him in the chest, and sent his pistol flying. It seemed like the party was over for old Gutter, as the Blood called Scales moved in to finish him off.

  Gutter was fighting to stay conscious, but it was a losing battle. Scales raised his .45 revolver and smiled at the fallen gang leader. Just as Scales began to tighten his grip on the trigger, a cry shattered the darkness. "HARLEM, MOTHERFUCKER!" Before Scales even had a chance to turn around, he found himself being ripped to shreds by a hail of bullets. The unknown attacker pressed down on the trigger of his .380 Mac, and didn't

  release his grip until the clip was spent. As Scales lay on his back bleeding and twitching the stranger stepped over him and bashed his scull in with the end of an oak cane.

  Gutter could hear the chaos erupting around him, but couldn't find the strength to move. The stranger was tugging at Gutter and calling his name, but Gutter was having trouble focusing.

  Between the pain and the loss of blood, he was losing his will to fight. For the briefest of moments, Gutter forced his eyes to focus on the stranger, and the face was familiar. It was 'Snake Eyes.' Gutter managed to force a smile onto his lips, and then the darkness claimed him.

  ***

  Lou-loc and Satin sat sipping coffee at a small shop not far from The Garden. They had just come from the convention and decided not to call it a night just yet. At first Lou-loc had been a bit skeptical about going to the event. In fact the only reason he even bothered was to spend some time with Satin.

  Once they reached the convention, Lou-loc was quite astounded by the whole affair. There were people, and books of all shapes, sizes, and colors. Most of the books on display were books that he'd read already. There were a few he hadn't checked out, so he bought them and got them signed by the authors. Some of Lou-loc's favorite writers were at the convention. He wanted to run around grinning and shaking hands, but he couldn't come across as a 'bird' in front of Satin on their first date.

  Satin was very impressed by the fact that Lou-loc was so well read. He knew a little something about all of the books there. He had either read them or heard of them. He even bought Satin a book about a girl who wanted to have the best of both worlds. It was written by that guy with the dreads that kind of resembles Jerry Rice ten years ago. He's a brilliant writer and his books are always juicy.

  As Satin sat stirring her French vanilla, she decided to pick Lou-loc's brain. "So, Lou-loc," she said licking her stirrer seductively, "how come you know so much about books?"

  "What, you surprised I can read or something?" he asked playfully.

  "No, I don't mean it like that. It's just that when you talk about books and writing, there's so much passion in your words."

  "Writing is something I'm very passionate about. It's my escape from the hustle and bustle of every day bull shit."

  "So you write then?" she asked, leaning in a little closer.

  "Sure do." he responded. "I've written two books and a bunch of short stories."

  "I'm impressed, Lou-loc. You don't strike me as the type."

  "Why, because I rock my pants a little looser than most folks, or cause my hair is all braided up? Tsk, tsk, Satin. How stereo-typical of you."

  "Cut it out, Lou-loc. You know what I mean."

  "I know, I'm just messing wit ya. I get that a lot though.

  People tend to judge you for face value instead of quality. It's a'ight though, I really don't mind. I kinda like it that way. People tend to give you a wider berth when they think you're some kind of sick cat. And what about you, Satin, what's your story?

  "Don't really have one to tell you the truth. Just a young girl trying to work her way through school, and make a better life for her family. Since my aunt's been sick, I've kinda had to bear the burden. You know taking care of my little brother and all." As Satin spoke, Lou-loc felt closer to her. She was such a deep person, he wanted to hear all she had to tell. Lou-loc moved closer to her and placed his hand on hers. His pager went off, but he ignored it and listened to Satin.

  "So, it's just the three of you?" he asked.

  "No," she said turning her eyes away, "I have another sibling.

  An older brother. He doesn't come around much. My aunt calls him a street person. She doesn't agree with his... lifestyle."

  "And you, Satin," he asked, "how do you feel about his lifestyle?"

  "Well," she started, "I don't condemn it, nor do I condone it.

  It's just how he is. I wish he would give those damn streets up."

  "I see how you feel, doll, but for some of us, the streets are the only way out."

  "Oh, you mean like you? Will the streets be your escape as you call it?"

  "Hey, hold on now, Satin. I ain't never say I was an angel. I make no excuses for what I do. And as far as your question, no.

  Believe it or not, I've grown quite tired of the game."

  "So, why do you still play it?" Lou-loc was caught off guard by that question. He didn't really have an answer, so he just spoke from the heart. "I don't know why I play it. I guess because I don't know how to stop playing it."

  Satin looked up at Lou-loc with tears in her eyes and shook her head. "Hey, come on," he said moving around the table to her side, "I didn't mean to upset you." She waved him off, but didn't push him away. "It's not you," she said wiping her eyes, "it's this fucked up world we live in.

  These streets pull down so many talented brothers like you. I'm just sick of it."

  "Satin," he said taking her in his arms, "people can change.

  Your brother can change, there's still time."

  "And you, Lou-loc, can you change?" "Who knows. Maybe if I had the right person in my life to help me? Will you help me change, Satin?" Satin looked into Lou-loc's eyes and saw sincerity. This only made her cry more. Here was this man that she hardly knew, and she was falling for him face first. She wanted him, and she knew he wanted her, but what about his girl?

  "Lou-loc," she said pulling away, "this can't be. I have to be honest, I want you. I've wanted you from the first moment I saw you going into The Magic Theater. We want each other, but you got a girl, and I can't rock like that." Lou-loc stepped back completely taken by surprise. How the hell did she know about Martina? He could've lied about it, or denied the fact that he was still with Martina, but he didn't.

  There was something about Satin that made him want to be totally honest with her. No matter what the consequences.

  "Satin," he said, "you're right about me having a lady, I won't lie to you, but it's not what you think. That chick is way bogus. I used to be so in love with her that I was blind to the bull shit she was pulling on me.

  "Even as we speak, I got somebody following her. I know she's tipping out on me, but I got no proof. No proof other than what my heart is telling me. I don't even think the baby she's carrying belongs to me?"

  Satin looked at the tears welling up in Lou-loc's eyes, and her heart went out to him. She saw so much pain inside him that she had to turn away. Satin k
new Lou-loc was the man she wanted to be with, but she was afraid of getting hurt. "So, now what?" she asked.

  "Well," he said, "we can wonder what might have been, or we can take a chance on the future, one step at a time."

  "One step at a time?"

  "One step at a time."

  The two of them walked from the shop hand in hand talking, and trying to make sense out of life. Neither one of them noticed the young man in the red sweat suit watching their exit.

  ***

  It was about 3am when Martina finally finished her little date. It was just as Lou-loc had expected, she was tipping. Every time Cross would see them hug or touch each other, he got a thrill.

  He was going to make this little task as painful as possible.

  From the low down Cross had gotten from his associate, Jasper, the man with Martina called himself "Mac". He ran a Blood chapter out of Newark. He and Martina had been seeing each other off and on for about three years. Some times as a couple, other times they were just fuck buddies.

  Cross really didn't know what Martina saw in the guy.

  Granted, he was a snazzy dresser. The suit he had on had to cost at least a grand, but his whole MO was tacky. His suit was nice, but his shoes were scuffed and worn. From the smell of the boy, Cross could tell the cologne was cheap.

  He wasn't particularly attractive either. He was short with lumpy brown skin and chemical waves. He wore gold caps to hide the few teeth in his mouth that were rotten. What caught Cross' attention the most was the monstrous ruby that he sported on his left pinky.

  Cross observed the entire date from a far. Their first stop was a movie theater in the Newport mall. The movie was some ol' corny shit, but that didn't much matter to Martina. She and Mac sat in the back section where they hugged up like young lovers.

  Cross looked on in disgust as Martina sucked Mac's lil dick for the better half of the movie. The worse part is that she didn't bother to spit.

  The two lovers went to different spots around New Jersey having a merry old time. They were the king and queen of shit.

  Little did either of them know that, biding its time, death trailed not far behind them,.

  Cross waited quietly in the shadows of a doorway while Mac kissed Martina, and put her in a taxi. "No sense in tipping the little bitch to the fact that she's busted," he thought to himself.

  Soon the taxi was well away, and Mac was taking a slow stroll back to his car. A stroll he would never get to finish.

  Just as Mac reached for his car keys, Cross leapt out of the darkness with a snarl. He could've taken Mac without making a sound, but it was more dramatic this way. Cross was a sucker for drama.

  Mac spun to face what he thought was a stray dog from the sound. He was totally surprised to see a man moving towards him. Mac reached for his gun, but was stopped short by Cross' vice like grip on his wrist. Cross leaned in and twisted his face into a mask of death.

  Mac pissed his pants at the sight of this slobbering thing that was standing not even two feet away from him. Cross let out a demonic laugh as he tightened his grip and crushed Mac's wrist.

  Mac began to whimper, which only excited Cross more. Popping open his switch blade, Cross slashed Mac's face.

  The heady aroma of fresh blood sent Cross into a frenzy as he tore savagely at Mac's already shredded face with his teeth.

  Mac begged and pleaded for his life, but it was too late. The beast had been let loose, and his life was forfeited.

  CHAPTER 10

  When Lou-loc got home, the house was empty. No Martina, no kids. Didn't really surprise him though. She had been slipping out quite often lately. It seemed like every time he was out for extended periods of time, she would slip away, and come home with a lame excuse.

  "Fuck her." he thought to himself. If she was doing dirt, Cross would find out. Every time Lou-loc thought of Cross, he felt kind of creepy. Sure they were friends, but he was really out there.

  Lou-loc stripped down to his boxers and stood in front of the mirror. He touched the spot where the bullet wound would've been if Cross hadn't helped him. Lou-loc had saved Cross, and Cross had returned the favor down the line. The score was even, but the two chose to remain friends.

  Lou-loc flopped down on the bed and sighed. The answering machine light read twenty messages. "Lazy bitch couldn't even clear the machine." Lou-loc didn't care who called, he had some thinking to do. Thinking about Satin.

  From the moment he first saw her, she had been on his mind.

  At first he thought she might've been just a stuck up little chick, but after he had spent time talking to her and getting to know her, he realized he was

  wrong. She was deeper than he thought possible, and that just made him want her more. Satin was the kinda lady that had ambition. She knew what her goals were, and busted her ass to reach them. She had a deep appreciation for life, and a hell of a lot of class.

  Satin carried herself like a lady at all times. She hardly swore, and articulated herself very well when she spoke. Satin was one of those women that when she spoke to someone, her voice commanded their undivided attention. She was definitely someone he could learn from.

  It was all like a fairy tale to Lou-loc. They say when you find your soul mate, you know it from your first encounter. Lou-loc was really beginning to think there was some truth to that.

  And what about Martina, what if he was wrong? Lou-loc loved Martina, or at least he thought he did. But what if he put his self out there, and she turned out to be a sour apple? Why must life be so hard?

  Lou-loc heard the front door click, and knew Martina was home. He quickly closed his eyes and pretended to be asleep.

  ***

  Martina removed her shoes in the hall and slipped silently in the house. She was still a little tipsy from the bottle of Cristal she and Mac had been sipping on. It wasn't the smartest thing in the world for her to do, being pregnant and all, but she figured, "It's only champagne, what could it hurt?" When she went into the bedroom, she saw Lou-loc stretched across the bed, knocked out.

  Sometimes she felt bad for creeping on him, but fuck it. Her logic was: "If he was more sensitive to her needs, she wouldn't have to tip on him." She cared for Lou-loc, that was true enough, but the main reason she stayed with him was because the boy was worth paper. Lou-loc was indeed "A hustler's hustler." When she had first met Lou-loc, she already knew who he was. Her peoples had already hipped her to his steelo. He was a big man in California, but his fame grew when he hit the east

  coast. On top of all that, he was a pretty nigga. The word was out that Lou-loc was the nigga to get with, and she snatched his ass up.

  It wasn't even hard for her to do either. Despite all the dirt he had done, and all the hood shit he was caught up in, Lou-loc was a real sweetheart underneath it all. She just used that to her advantage. Plus, she felt that there wasn't another mami in New York as bad as her. It was common knowledge that Lou-loc had a thing for the Latinos.

  Martina walked to the bed and looked down at Lou-loc's sleeping form. She felt kinda bad about her secret rendezvous.

  Lou-loc was a lot of things, but to her knowledge, he hadn't been unfaithful.

  Sometimes she didn't understand why she even fucked with Mac. Lou-loc was better looking, and his paper was just as long, if not longer. The thing with her and Mac was just something that always was. She'd been fucking with him since before Lou-loc came east. Oh well, she couldn't change what was already done.

  Maybe she would cut Mac off and be true to Lou-loc. That was a big maybe, considering the baby was probably Mac's.

  Hell, Lou-loc was already going all out, so why change it? If it ain't broke, then don't fix it.

  Martina stripped down to her birthday suit and slid into the bed next to her man. She moved her body against his to steal some of his warmth. She loved him so much, yet she just had such a hard time being true with him always being away. Maybe in time. Maybe.

  ***

  Satin got home that evening with mixed
feelings about the last twenty four hours turn of events. First Michael coming back on the scene, and then Lou-loc tracking her down. Her life was definitely becoming interesting.

  Satin removed her clothes and put on her white laced night gown. She flopped on her bed and looked at the purple and yellow book Lou-loc had bought for her. Every time she thought of him, her underwear got moist.

  He was so damn fine, and he wanted her as much as she wanted him. Satin was far from stupid, she knew niggaz was good for playing games. But the look in his eyes made her realize he wasn't gaming. This man was truly into her. It wasn't unusual for a guy to fall head over heels for her, but that was usually lust. With Lou-loc, it was something much deeper.

  Satin had never encountered a man like Lou-loc. He was so passionate about every thing. That was odd for a young man, especially a gang banger.

  The thought of his gang affiliation presented Satin with another problem. Even though she didn't get down with the whole gang thing, she was guilty by association. What would Lou-loc think if he found out who her brother was?

  To her, the whole concept was stupid. Young Blacks and Latinos killing each other over bull shit. Colors and property that neither side owned.

  First it was Michael, and then her youngest brother Jesus.

  Both had fallen victim to this thing we call street life. Now she had to sit idly by and watch someone else she cared for fall victim.

  Then there was the whole "he got a girl" issue. That dizzy bitch had a grade A winner on her hands, but still felt it necessary to cock her legs for any nigga sportin' a shine. Satin knew how Martina was getting down, but she felt it wasn't her place to put her mouth in that. The good thing was, Lou-loc was finally starting to get wise to her shit.

  Satin felt kinda stupid feeling the way she did about Lou-loc.

  Even though he seemed sincere, she knew that nine outta ten niggaz was full of shit. Again, she pushed those feelings out of her mind. She kept telling herself that Lou-loc was the real thing.

  Every girl dreams about that knight in shining armor, but she had finally found him. As long as Lou-loc didn't play himself, they'd be all good.