PPP Box Set

by Charmanie Saquea

  I could see him contemplating on what I just asked him to do. He knew that if his father said the wrong thing, either both of them were dead, or I was gonna kill his pops. Either way, it was a lose-lose situation for Ty. But I hoped he would attempt to spare his own life.

  “He still in Panama.”

  I looked at Ty sideways. “You trying to play me? This nigga getting money, thanks to my pops. I’m sure he can afford the fucking roaming charges. Call him!”

  Good thing we were in the bunker, because the way I was screaming would have definitely woke up my moms and them. I watched as Ty pulled out his iPhone and called his pops. I prayed my boy didn’t cross me. It rang four times before Jeff finally answered

  “What up? You straight son? Why you calling me while I’m out of town?”

  Ty hesitated, so I had to reposition my gun to remind him what was gonna happen if he didn’t cooperate.

  “Pops I gotta ask you something, and I need you to keep it 100 with me. Hassan was bodied today my man…”

  Jeff cut him off. “I know you not calling to ask me if I had something to do with it when you know I’m in Panama.”

  There was all the proof I needed. That nigga didn’t even seem fazed that his best friend was murdered.

  “Nah, Cam sent me to the spot to check video from the night of the robbery. I watched the whole thing. Pops tell me you didn’t have shit to do with this. Why you lie about what you saw on the tape?”

  The line went silent for a minute. “Fuck them niggas, Ty. That nigga Hassan wasn’t built to be no leader. He had us doing all the leg work while he reaped the benefits. Fuck that nigga and fuck Cam. You that nigga lap dog. He don’t see you as his equal, but ya head too far up his ass to see that though.”

  I didn’t want to hear anymore. I wanted to kill Ty because his father was scum, but he was my brother. I lowered the gun and sat back on the couch as he wrapped up the conversation with his pops.

  “What now?” I heard Ty say as he ended the call with his father.

  That’s the same shit I was thinking. I mean, that was the ultimate test of our friendship. His father had to die.

  “Ty, you already know. I’m going to kill Jeff. You either can live with that and just not deal with me, or kill me right now. Wait, nah that’s not an option because your piece in your car. So you can live with the fact that your right hand man going to kill your father, or go to war with me at a later date. That’s on you.”

  Ty

  I couldn’t believe it came to that. For anyone else, the choice would have been easy. Blood is thicker than water, right? It wasn’t that simple though. My pops and Hassan grew up together, so how the fuck could he cross the man that always had his back? Then, he turned around preached that loyalty shit. I was disgusted and embarrassed that I had to call that nigga my father. I didn’t share his same views about the situation. As far back as I could remember, Hassan was a team player. Yea, he may have had little niggas putting in work, but he was the boss. How did niggas expect that shit to go? It was too many chiefs, and not enough Indians. Everybody wanted to be the boss.

  Cam on the other hand, was just like his pops. He looked out for everyone around him and kept his niggas straight. We never bumped heads, which you would expect since his pops was the boss man. You would think he would be on some I’m above everyone else because my pops is that nigga type shit, but he wasn’t. He was in the streets with us, and he put in work with us. I couldn’t even force myself to agree with what my pops said. One thing my pops told me, which was a statement that Hassan used to say all the time was that “Snakes needed to be beheaded.” It’s fucked up that the snake is my pops, but I knew what had to be done.

  I looked over at Cam who looked as if he was in deep thought just as I was.

  “Yo Cam.”

  I waited for him to look up at me. I’m glad it took him a minute because it gave me a chance to prepare my words in my head.

  “I’m not trynna go to war with you bro. My pops went against the grain so he gotta pay the price.”

  Cam’s eyes almost popped out his head. He didn’t expect me to side with him. Shit, honestly I didn’t think I would side with him either. That was my pops we talking about, but that didn’t change the fact that he fucked up.

  “Nah. Imma keep it trill with you Ty. I respect that you picked me over your pops. That’s loyalty, and I wish all niggas had that shit flowing through them like you. But I’m not gonna let you agree to me killing your pops. I would never do to you, what your pops did to me. I tell you this though, he better stay where he’s at. It’s not enough space in the states for the both of us. If we cross paths, shots will be exchanged. He either gonna kill me, or I’mma kill him.”

  Chapter Fourteen

  Cameron

  I really did respect that Ty was willing to ride for me. He knew his pops had to get it because he did the unforgiveable, but I knew that Ty and I would never be able to overcome me killing his pops, even if we tried. I couldn’t have that tension with him right now. Putting the bullshit aside with his pops, he was still the only nigga I could trust, and I still had problems that needed to be solved. Max was at the top of my list. When he started working for my father, that nigga was homeless. His baby moms put him out because he wasn’t working, and she got tired of providing for the nigga. My pops cleaned him up and gave him a job. Never bite the hand that feeds you.

  Man was next, his death was going to be slow and painful, but first I was going to kill everyone that he loved; his mother, his sister, and his daughter. He had to be last because he had to see how it felt to lose people that you love. I guess losing his brother wasn’t enough. I wonder how he would feel knowing that Max was the one who pulled the trigger, sending his brother to an early grave. Niggas really didn’t have an ounce of loyalty when money and power was involved. I knew that before but I was feeling it now in the worst way.

  I looked over at Ty who was sitting in deep thought. He hadn’t said anything since I told him that I was gonna let his pops live. I was fine with my decision because I knew that I would see him again, and when I did it was on sight. How did my pops do that shit on a daily basis? I was physically and mentally drained. I just wanted to lay up with my shorty and exhale.

  “Yo, Ty, I’m ready to take it down for the night. On some real shit, I just want to relax get my mind right and shit. I’ll get at you tomorrow to discuss our next move.”

  I didn’t even wait for him to respond. I just got up and headed towards the elevator. He got the message and followed behind me. After letting him out, I headed upstairs to Skye. I had some frustrations that I needed to release, and I knew her pussy would be the best therapy. I walked in the room and found her passed out in the bed. I contemplated waking her up but decided against. I needed to figure out a way to show her how much I appreciated her. She lived a pretty normal life, and there I came, shaking up her world. But instead of dipping, she was still there. I walked over to the side of the bed and lightly kissed her cheek. I was about to walk away when I noticed a rolled blunt sitting on the nightstand.

  I chuckled low, I loved shorty. She knew I was gonna need this shit after the day I had, and she had it ready for a nigga. I couldn’t wait to blow that L, but I needed a quick shower first. After the shower I smoked my L, climbed in bed with my shorty, and got some much needed sleep.

  ****

  Since the day of my pops death, I put everything on hold. All the niggas who worked for my pops reached out to me once they heard about his death, but I brushed them off. I didn’t want sympathy, or help, or nothing! Even Max called me. That nigga had nerve, but I kept it together because before I dealt with him and everyone else, I needed to make sure home was together. Christmas was a week away, and the women in my life deserved to have a semi normal Christmas. It would never be normal again for my moms and sister because my pops’ wasn’t there, but I would do my best to make it comforting. Skye had been a big ass help around the house the past few days. She cooked, cleaned, a
nd decorated the house in hopes of getting us all in the Christmas spirit. On top of that, she had two finals she had to take the other day that she didn’t get a chance to study for. I prayed she did well. Skye worked so hard that semester and managed to hold me down. I on the other hand, skipped finals. School was the last thing on my mind.

  ****

  My alarm went off, shaking me out of my thoughts. I’d been up for a minute, but I just forgot to turn the alarm off. I grabbed my phone off the night stand, turned it off, and laid back down. It was the day of my pop’s funeral. I wasn’t ready and hadn’t the slightest idea as to how I was going to get through it. I knew I had to hold it down for my moms and Vic, but telling myself I needed to do that and doing it, was two different things. I laid there in deep thought until Skye turned over and kissed me.

  “I heard the alarm go off baby, get up.”

  Damn, I wasn’t trying to wake her up because I really wanted her to sleep as much as she could. I low key had a feeling she was pregnant because every time we fucked recently, she couldn’t take the whole thing, and she usually she handled the shit like a pro. Not to mention she hadn’t needed those pad things for a minute. I didn’t know though, maybe her cycle was fucked up or whatever other female issues chicks go through. I was sure she would tell me if she was pregnant, but just in case, I tried to keep her stress free.

  “Aight beautiful I’m getting up,” I said as I sat up in the bed.

  “What time your parents going to be here?” I asked her while looking through the messages in my phone.

  “They are going to meet us at the church because they are going to pick up Ariana. Speaking of Ariana, when I last spoke to her she was asking about Ty. She said he been calling her, but didn’t want to see her and that wasn’t normal. You know wassup with him babe? It is kind of weird that he hasn’t even been over here in the past few days.”

  Shit, I didn’t even tell Skye the shit that went down, and how I found out that Jeff knew that Max had set Rick up, and was working with the Cypress niggas. Why did she have to ask? I had been keeping my word about not keeping stuff from her when she asked, but I didn’t want to indulge in that stuff at the moment. However, I decided to tell her anyway.

  Chapter Fifteen

  Skye

  I couldn’t believe the shit Cameron told me about Ty’s father and Max. I had planned on taking a shower with him, but I couldn’t get up. I had to lie there and really process it. That shit was real. When Cameron told me about his lifestyle, I didn’t anticipate it would get that messy. Everybody wanted to in a position of power. I was really starting to question everything. Was it even worth it anymore? I had to shake that feeling. Regardless if it was worth it or not, I told Cameron I was going to stick with him and that’s what I planned to do.

  I climbed out of bed and headed in the bathroom to join my man in the shower. Seeing Cameron in there with the water falling off his body reminded me how much I loved him. When I stepped in the shower, he turned to face me and kissed me.

  “I thought you wasn’t going to come.”

  I didn’t respond; no words were needed. I took the rag out his hand and washed him up. When I was done, he did the same for me. I lived for those moments, because they helped me answer the questions that I was asking myself earlier. It was definitely worth it.

  After the shower we headed in the bedroom to get dressed. I was sitting on the bed applying lotion to my skin, as I watched Cameron put on his Tom Ford suit. My baby cleaned up nice. Once he was done getting dressed, he headed out the room. I assumed that he was going to check on his mother and sister. I was moving extremely slow because suddenly I felt sick. I figured it was because I knew I was headed to a funeral, so I brushed it off and continued to get ready. I slipped into the BCBGMAXAZRIA dress that Cameron picked out for me. I then, stepped into my black Christian Louboutin Daff pumps, and headed downstairs.

  ****

  As our limo arrived at the church I kissed Cameron and whispered “I got you baby” in his ear.

  It was important that he understood that I had his back and that he wasn’t going through this alone. Yes, he had his mother and his sister, but they were in no position to comfort him. I was there for all for all of them. I watched as he stepped out of the limo first, and then took his mother by the hand. Victoria and I exited next, and followed Cameron and his mom into the church. I held Victoria’s hand as we walked down the aisle to the front row which was reserved for family. Once they were seated, I kissed Cameron on the cheek and hugged the ladies. I didn’t plan on sitting in the front with them. I was going to find my parents and Ariana, because that was something that they had to do together. When I went to walk away, Mariah stopped me.

  “Where are you going? Please sit with us, Skye. You are family.”

  Mariah’s words meant a lot to me. I didn’t protest it, and took a seat next to Cameron.

  ****

  The service was amazing, they sent Cameron’s dad home in a very classy manner. Everything was breathtaking; from the flower arrangements, to the song choices performed by the choir, down to the speeches given by Cameron and his mother. During the service, I couldn’t help but notice the amount of people that came out to say their final goodbyes to Hassan. You could tell that he was heavily respected.

  When we got outside, something stuck out to me as odd just as Mariah and Victoria got into the limo. I noticed a group of about six or seven guys watching our every move.

  “Baby,” I said, tapping Cameron.

  “Yea, what happened?”

  I looked in the direction of the men and spoke. “Do you know them?”

  When he saw who I was referring to, his face turned sour. He spun on his heels and headed in their direction. I contemplated getting in the limo, but decided that I was going to stand beside my man. I walked quickly so I could catch up with him. When I reached him, I took his hand in mine and squeezed it; had to remind him we were in it together.

  “Young Cam,” one of the guys spoke up.

  He looked to be from some sort of Spanish descent; Mexican maybe.

  “Miguel.” Cameron said as he nodded his head at the guy.

  The Spanish man looked at me and licked his crusty lips. That shit made my skin crawl.

  “Who is this pretty lady?” His voice sent chills up my spine, but not the chills that meant I was turned on. They were the ones that made me want to run back to the limo to get away from his ass.

  Cameron’s nose flared up as he spoke. “My girl.”

  The Spanish guy who Cameron referred to as Miguel smiled. Ugh, who was that man? Before he could speak, Cameron spoke cutting him off.

  “Thanks for coming to pay your respects. We gotta head out though and get to the cemetery.”

  We turned to head back to the limo when Miguel stopped us in our tracks.

  “Cam, we didn’t come for trouble. As you stated we wanted to pay our respects and to let you know we are now owed two million dollars.”

  Cameron turned red and started to speak.

  “No need to object.” Miguel said, stepping closer to him.

  Cameron didn’t back down either.

  Miguel continued to speak. “You lost my money once, and I allowed you the opportunity to pay it back with your little interest. Now the money is late, and you didn’t reach out to me. I see you have been dealing with a lot, but that doesn’t have shit to do with my money. So as I stated, two million dollars, and you have two days. I would say tomorrow but I’mma give you a day to regroup after having to bury your father; but only because I like you. I must warn you that, if I have to take this trip again, it won’t be this civil.”

  Miguel turned to walk away and the guys who were with him followed. Cameron said nothing, he just escorted me back to the limo and we headed to the burial site.

  Chapter Sixteen

  Cameron

  When we got home from the burial site, we were joined by some of the guys who were really close to my pops, and even Max was amongst the
men, but that was for my own reasons. Ty also joined us. Things had been awkward between us and I made a mental note to address that before the night was over. Even Skye’s parents where there to show support, along with Ariana. I didn’t want anything like that but my mom wanted to have them all over for dinner. After days of convincing me, I gave in. As her, my sister, Skye, and Ariana went to work in the kitchen, I gathered all my niggas and we headed to the bunker.

  “I thank y’all for coming to pay respects to my pops. I appreciate it.” I spoke as they all settled in.

  Most of them were familiar with the bunker because like I said, they were the closest to my pops. As I walked over to the TV to start the recording, I heard some of them telling me that thank you wasn’t necessary and shit. I nodded to the comments and pressed play.

  I didn’t need to watch it again; instead, I watched Max as he began to sweat bullets. Everyone except Ty, Max, and I were confused as to why I was playing the recording, but they would soon understand. As they watched Max walk out of the warehouse helping them Cypress niggas with the shit the stole, they all simultaneously drew they weapons and aimed it at their target.

  “I can explain, Cam. It ain’t even like that.”

  I walked over to him and punched him in his mouth. Max grabbed his jaw and winced in pain.

  “Speak when I ask you a question.” I barked.

  I looked over and saw that J.R’s piece had a silencer on it. I smiled at him. Knowing why I was smiling, he handed me the burner.

  “So riddle me this. How you know Man? Why you set my pops up? AND who else is in on it? You got one chance and one chance only. Make it count.”

  I looked around at the other guys in the room and saw how they were looking around at each other. I silently hoped that Max didn’t implicate anyone else in this room when he started name dropping.

  “Answer me bitch!”

  He gulped before opening his mouth to speak. “Man, is my nephew.”

  That nigga really was a snake. He killed Man’s brother, his other nephew, and I didn’t even ask him to.