“I sure do love meetings where we are in and out,” Kori stated as they walked up to the curb where their cars were parked back to back.
“You and I both,” Nadja added.
“What you thinking ‘bout Sym?” Kori asked her big sister.
“Nothing Kori, I’m fine. Let me get home to my baby, though. We’ll chat tonight.” Symphony said before walking around her BMW to the driver’s side, and climbing in. She started up the car and scrolled through her phone returning text messages, before tossing the phone onto the passenger seat and pulling out of the parking spot.
___
“I’m home. I’m home. You missed mommy Kenzie” Symphony spoke while walking into the living room of her apartment where her Nanny, Laverne, sat rocking the fussy baby. Her whines could be heard from the foyer.
“She isn’t having a very good day,” Laverne added.
“Awe man Kenz, you gave Ms. Laverne a hard day today? Let me wash my hands and I’ll take her from you.”
Symphony walked out of the living room and into the kitchen, where she quickly washed and dried her hands before returning to her baby.
“Look at my big girl. You growing way too fast for me.” She cooed over her three-month-old.
“Do you need me any longer for today? My daughter is in town, and I’d love to spend some time with her and my grands.”
“Oh, most definitely Ms. Laverne. Do you need a ride home? I was going to take Kenz out for some fresh air.”
“No, I’ll give her a call and have her pick me up.”
“Okay, let me get out of here now. Maybe she’ll calm down once the nice breeze hit her. I guess we’ll take a stroll to the park. Make sure you lock up okay?”
“Absolutely. Enjoy the walk.”
Symphony carried McKenzie to her nursery, where she quickly changed her from the sleeper she was wearing, to a cute little sundress. Once she was dressed, Sym packed a quick bag with the necessities and headed toward the front door where Kenz’s 4Moms stroller was waiting. After putting her in the stroller and making sure she was safely strapped in, Sym was out the door.
Once outside of the apartment building, Symphony took a quick look around her surroundings. She lived in the Avalon apartments, in Downtown Brooklyn. Her place was conveniently located near many attractions. Unfortunately, in the month she had been living in New York, she hadn’t had much time to explore her new city. She came from Philly, so she was pretty used to City life; just not New York city life. Because Ms. Laverne was a Brooklyn native, she knew all the hotspots. She loved the park that was up the block on Myrtle and St. Edwards and always spoke highly of it to Sym. Because of that, Symphony decided that would be her and McKenzie’s destination for the day and started her stroll up Myrtle Avenue.
“Damn, she bad as fuck,” A boy called out to Symphony as she passed the center that was on the corner of Myrtle and Prince.
There were a few boys gathered in front of the center, and almost all of them had something to say about her looks. She smiled inwardly; it was something about knowing she could still pull guys even if they were way out of her age range, that made her feel good.
“Sorry about that shorty. Ya’ll little knuckleheads better get inside and get to practice.” An older more mature voice spoke out.
Symphony stopped and turned around. “No need to apologize,” she smiled before the unfamiliar man became familiar.
Her smiled turned into a frown, she quickly turned away and continued her walk up the block.
“Yo… Yo,” the man called after her, but she kept walking. “Karma!” he yelled.
Symphony stopped in her tracks and turned around. When the guy noticed she had stopped, he jogged up to her.
“Don’t ever call me that shit in the street,” Sym spat before walking off and leaving him dumbfounded.
She nervously looked behind her every few minutes to make sure she wasn’t being followed. They say New York City was small, but she was finding it hard to believe that it was that small.
“How the hell did he remember me?” She asked herself out loud.
She came to the conclusion that he remembered her the same way she remembered him. Some people just had that face; you know the type of face you just don’t forget.
Chapter Two
The Black on Black Benz with dark tints sat parked on Surf Avenue in the Coney Island section of Brooklyn. Mitch slouched down in his seat and pulled the Yankee fitted lower, covering his eyes a bit as if the tints didn’t do a good enough job of shielding him from the world. Mitch and Niem, were waiting for Nino, who ran up to one of the buildings in Marlboro projects to pick up money that was owed. While Niem’s mind was on the bread that was about to be added to their bank, Mitch thought heavily about the chick he bumped into just hours before. Thinking about her, made him think back to that night. A sense of sadness came over him as he thought back to the night, one year ago, when his brother was murdered. At the same time, he couldn’t help but think about how fat Karma’s pussy was.
“Nigga, what you over there thinking about?” Niem asked while passing the blunt over to Mitch.
“Remember shorty… Nah, it’s nothing. But yo what up with them niggas, in the Stuy. They getting down with ya’ll?”
Ever so often Mitch would inquire about the Drug dealing part of the operation. Although it was a part he rarely, if ever was bothered with, he still wanted to be in the know. Nino and Niem were the go-to guys in Brooklyn for whatever product you needed. If you needed something, they didn’t have; they made it their business to get it to you. The operation had been growing and even spread to other boroughs, but they were having problems with taking over the Bedford-Stuyvesant section of Brooklyn. Some nigga named Rory, and his team had shit in the Stuy on lock. Nothing was coming in or going out if it didn’t have their stamp of approval. Niem and Nino never been pussy, so they figured they would lay down the law, and Rory and his boys would be left with the option to get down or lay down, and if they chose to lay down, that’s when they would have to see Mitch.
While Mitch didn’t deal with the Drug trade, he did, however, dibble and dabble in another part of streets. His game was Murder, and he played it well. Mitch was a low key dude. He lived a rather modest lifestyle, wasn’t the flashy type, and avoided anything that would bring him attention. Because of the way he lived his life, he was able to maneuver in silence; putting an end to niggas lives before they even knew he was on to them. This is how his relationship with Niem and Nino came too. When you in the streets heavy, regardless of what your business is, niggas will always find a way to bring heat to your door. Niem caught Mitch one night rocking a nigga to sleep with ease. He knew having a dude like Mitch on his team would be beneficial. He approached him with a proposition and obviously it was good enough, that Mitch didn’t refuse. Here they were seven years later, and Mitch was ready to send Rory to bed if he didn’t give up the territory his boys were after.
“That’s another story for another day,” Niem stressed. “Here come this nigga Nino now,” he pointed out the window toward the direction Nino was jogging from with a duffel bag in hand.
Nino climbed into the back of the truck, huffing as if he had run a marathon. Niem and Mitch looked back at him with anticipation on what it was he would have to say after making the pickup.
“So?” Niem questioned.
“Damn, can a nigga catch his breath?” Nino huffed.
Mitch chuckled, “If your ass hit the gym with us, you would be able to sprint across a courtyard without nearly passing out.”
Niem joined Mitch in laughter. Nino wasn’t a big guy, but he wasn’t the most in shape either. The guys normally got on him about not being able to keep up, but he didn’t care. His motto was he still got bitches.
“Fuck ya’ll. Anyway though, shit went smooth. The bread is right and they looking to re-up a few days earlier. Now, on the other hand, this Rory nigga is becoming a bigger problem.” Nino explained.
“Funny you should bring
him up. I was just asking Niem about that nigga. What happened now?” Mitch inquired.
He was itching to make an example out of Rory or one of his boys; he was just waiting for the word.
“Not only is he not trying to get down with our operation. He trying to expand into territories we already got under control. The nigga Jackson told me Rory had niggas pushing product on our blocks. What’s next?” Nino hypothetically asked.
“Next, one of them niggas die. If Rory, not getting the message; if he doesn’t believe how serious ya’ll are, its time to send a clearer message,” Mitch explained.
Mitch wasn’t for all the talking and all the negotiating. If he offered you a deal and you didn’t take it, that was it.
“So, what’s your plan?” Niem looked to Mitch for instructions.
“I know one of his spots. I’ma pull up and drop somebody.”
“Just like that?” Nino stated.
Mitch nodded and started up the car. “Just like that.”
The ride from Coney Island to Bedstuy was quiet, due to the silence Mitch required as he calculated his moves. By the time they arrived at Breevort Projects, where Rory’s crew usually congregated, Mitch had the details ironed out to the tiniest detail.
“So, you really just gonna run up in there and gun them, niggas, down?”
“Pretty much,” Mitch nodded. “And I’ll make it back to the crib for whatever Michelle chefed up. She said she was coming through to cook,” He added while checking his clip to make sure it was full.
“This nigga crazy?” Nino laughed.
Niem nodded but remained silent. He and Nino knew each other the longest, but he and Mitch were indeed the closest. Niem knew how Mitch got down and never needed to question him. When Mitch set his mind to something, it usually went off without a hitch. He was that good at what he did.
“Nino, get in the driver’s seat and keep the car running. Niem, come with me.” Mitch instructed.
Nino went to say something but was too slow. Mitch and Niem were already out of the car and making their way toward the building where Rory’s guys congregated.
“Yo, Mitch let me ask you a question.” Niem broke the silence as they briskly made their way through the projects toward the Coliseum.
“Make it quick we almost to the building.”
Niem contemplated between asking his question and letting it go. He decided to press on. “It’s been a little minute, but I haven’t heard anything from you on that search.”
Mitch stopped mid-stride and looked at Niem with his brow furrowed. “What search? Niem if you asking me what I think you’re asking me. Not right now. Aight?”
Niem nodded and gestured for Mitch to continue leading the way. Mitch knew Niem was referring to the hunt Mitch was on to find out who was behind the hit on his brother. It was something Mitch never spoke about, but he thought about it daily. The hunt would never be over until the one responsible was bleeding out before him. Mitch and his older brother Michael was as close as brothers could possibly get. Michael had taught Mitch everything there was to know about life and surviving the streets. His father was unable to do it since he had been fighting the monkey on his back since Mitch was three months old. But Michael made sure his little brother never felt the void of not having a father figure. He stood up to the plate and handled home. The night he was murdered, was the night Mitch made a vow not to stop at anything to get at whoever was responsible. Progress was slow, but it wasn’t stagnant.
“You ready?” Mitch forced the thoughts of his brother to the back of his mind, to focus on what was about to go down.
“What you need from me?” Niem questioned. He knew Mitch liked to work alone, so he didn’t have a clue as to why he opted to bring him along.
Mitch pointed to a bench behind them. “Take a seat right there. Put your head down but stay alert. Any nigga moving toward that building right there, drop them. I’ll be out in less than two minutes. Any longer come after me.” Mitch rambled off his instructions before jogging toward the building. A few feet away from the building entrance, he ducked behind a tree to scope out who was inside the building. He spotted a few familiar faces of guys that were known to run with Rory. There were three in total, and they were shooting dice in the buildings hallway. Mitch glanced around to make sure no one was around to bear witness to what was about to happen. He looked to where Niem was sitting to make sure he was alert, and as expected, he was.
Mitch emerged from behind the tree and trotted toward the entrance of the building while screwing on his silencer. From right outside the door, he aimed at the window and let off three shots simultaneously.
Pop, pop, pop
Each bullet hit its intended target. Mitch walked through the door of the building to examine his handy work. Each man had a tiny hole in their head that was leaking. For good measure, he let off three more times.
Pop, pop, pop
He clicked the safety on the pistol and shoved it into the small of his back while retreating the same way he had come.
“We good,” He whispered to Niem while walking passed him. Niem glanced toward the building as he rose to his feet to follow his friend.
“Drive,” Mitch instructed once he and Niem were both in the car.
“What now? Nina questioned.
Mitch shrugged and slouched back in his seat. He pulled his fitted lower over his eyes. With his eyes clenched shut, Mitch responded to Nino, “Whatever ya’ll want. Obviously, ya’ll gonna want Rory to know who rocked his guys to sleep and let him know that it’s just the beginning if he doesn’t give up what ya’ll asking for. Expect war, though. I mean I shouldn’t even have to tell ya’ll that.”
Niem and Nino used the rest of the ride discussing how they were going to move forward. Mitch was right about one thing; bodying Rory’s dudes was a sure way to start a war. Niem and Nino welcomed it as long as when the dust settled it was them who was standing as victors with all the territory they wanted.
Chapter Three
“Kenzie, what’s the issue today? Huh?” Symphony bounced the cranky baby on one knee while holding up the latest Jordan sneaker, hoping to get the attention of a sales person. “Are you really going to keep walking past me, like you don’t see me sitting here?” She snapped as the sales guy went to by-pass her for the third time. Each time he walked by, she said excuse me and he ignored her.
“My bad.” He stopped in his tracks and gave Symphony his undivided attention.
She rose to her feet and adjusted the hold she had on McKenzie, before handing the shoe to him.
“I need these in a zero.”
“Which?” He questioned.
“Are you serious? I’m literally holding them out in your face, and you’re asking me which?” She was beyond over it. Ready to toss the sneaker at him and keep it moving. Her right mind told her to go to Footlocker, but she wanted to give the mom and pop sneaker shop a chance.
“I got it, Ricardo. Why you giving him a hard time?” The smooth voice asked while taking the shoe out of Symphony’s hand.
She looked up at him and sucked her teeth.
“Is the world really this small?” She asked to no one in particular.
“Maybe not the world, but Brooklyn is,” he replied.
“I see.”
“So, we need these for little mama, huh?”
He looked down at the baby who for some odd reason ceased her tantrum. He stared at her oddly, before Symphony shifted her stance, causing him to look back to her.
“Yes. In a zero. Actually, I’ll take a pair of white air forces too in her size.”
“Aight, I got you. Come to the counter.”
Symphony turned her back to him and put Makenzie back in her stroller. After strapping her in, she followed him to the register.
“Yo boss, you want me to go down and get the shoes?” The guy, who was previously helping Symphony, asked.
He nodded at him and held up both sneakers. “A size 0 in both.” Once he gave instructions to h
is worker, he averted his attention back to Symphony and her baby.
“She cute,” he observed.
Symphony looked down at McKenzie, smiled and looked back to him. “Thank you. So, you’re the manager?” She inquired.
“I own the spot. Rarely here working, though, you caught me on one of those days.”
“Ohhh.” In her head, she was thanking God that the nigga she gave her pussy to wasn’t working at a sneaker store.
“Mitch,” he stuck his hand out for hers.
“Nice to meet you, again.” She returned the favor and shook his hand,
“You really not going to tell me your name, Ka--?”
She put her hand up, “You better not.” If he would have called her Karma, she was going to go all the way off on him. So, if he knew what was good, he would stop while he was ahead.
“So, tell me. What you on the run or some shit?”
She shrugged, “Maybe.”
Mitch laughed and rubbed his full beard while eyeing her.
“Okay, okay, It’s Symphony,” She gave in.
“See, that wasn’t hard at all, was it?”
“It was.”
“Here you go boss,” Ricardo handed the two small sneaker boxes to Mitch, and he bagged them up.
“What are you doing?” Symphony questioned as he handed her the bag.
“It’s on me, enjoy your sneakers baby girl,” he cooed at McKenzie.
“McKenzie,” Symphony corrected.
“I like that.”
“Can you just ring up the shoes?” She insisted.
“Symphony, come on. It’s the least I could do,” he smirked. Unbeknownst to Symphony, Mitch was thinking about how he had her bent over a couch, digging her guts out, a year ago. She didn’t take the money he offered her then so giving up the kicks to him was nothing in comparison.
Street Symphony: A Tainted Love Story Page 2