by Aija Monique
Monica was like a breath of fresh air to him.
* * *
Brandy said her good-byes to Cindy and her children before hopping into her car. She was ready to get back home before Phil got there. She didn’t expect him for a few days but wanted to make sure there was nothing out of sorts. Phil was a bitch about the way her home was kept, the clothes little Phil wore, and the company she kept. She most definitely had to set the stage before his arrival and let her boy toys know that she’d be unavailable for a few weeks.
Cyrus wasn’t picking up his phone, which made Brandy very nervous. She was snorting and fidgeting in an attempt to get all of the coke from her line of satisfaction before hitting the road. Cyrus promised to pay the headhunters for her. Now he wasn’t answering. She was down to twenty-four hours before the men were scheduled to come after her mother and son. Brandy was confused and worried about her next move. She didn’t know if she should drive home or look for Cyrus. She couldn’t call Phil because then he’d know what she’d done. According to Cyrus, her head was now on a silver platter in Kern County, so her best bet was to flee the city.
* * *
Shun got dressed as fast as he could with his injuries. Sophia reluctantly helped him. She was afraid of what he was going to do. Shun was very quiet after he hung up the phone. He quietly laid out his weapons, loaded them, and stood staring into the mirror once he finally got his bulletproof vest fastened.
Sophia came over to him and wrapped her arms gently around his torso. Shun’s first instinct was to push her away and knock her arms from around him. The last thing he needed was the nagging feeling that he had to return home to her. He refrained from pushing Sophia to the side. He touched her hands softly and commenced to holstering his weapons.
Shun turned around and met Sophie’s gaze. “Don’t worry about me. I’ll be fine. I want you to lock the doors and wait for me to come home.”
“Okay, okay!” Sophia nodded her head and verbally responded with a hint of worry lingering in her eyes.
“I mean it,” Shun said as he kissed her on her forehead. He then pushed past Sophia and headed out the door. Shun was so worried about what he was going to find at the bar that he put a call into Phil before he turned on his car. Again, he was met with a voice messaging system. This time, Shun was sure to leave him a message, stating that it was urgent.
Shun hurriedly drove the fifteen minutes to the gambling club. The police were still out front. One of the patrons had called the medics. Shun’s stomach dropped, afraid to find out just what had gone down. He was losing people left and right, and he wasn’t even on tour. While in the service, death was to be expected. Here as a civilian, he just wanted to live comfortably and perhaps have a family.
Shun walked up to one of the emergency technicians to ask about the incident.
“What happened here? I received a phone call stating that a friend of mine was in trouble.”
“You know what happened here,” the man responded and pinched his lips. “One of these cats got the brakes beat off ’im for fooling around with Tommy. Dude probably owed him some money. I’ll say this one was a fighter. He’s hanging on by a very thin thread, but he’s a strong one.”
Shun looked at the ground deep in thought. “Did the cops arrest the men in connection with this?”
The technician laughed at how ignorant Shun was about the situation. “Man, these cops come here on a regular basis. You know Tommy got cops on his roster. He can’t be touched that easy.”
“Everyone can be touched,” Shun said and turned to take a peek in the back of the emergency vehicle.
“We’re taking him to Kern County General, if you want to follow. There’s no doubt he’ll be admitted, so he’ll be processed and admitted shortly after arrival. We don’t know if there’s any internal bleeding, so he may be prepped for surgery.”
Shun just nodded. He was blacking out slightly about the entire incident. He walked swiftly. He started off with a long and wide stride but was reminded of the pain that presented full force. He shook his head and slowed to the pace of an old man the rest the way back to his car. It was cold out, and the wind was tackling his wounds. He needed to get home. He would see about Cyrus in the morning.
* * *
Sophia busied herself around Shun’s home. She cleaned the kitchen and living room area before putting his clothes in the wash. Smiling, she thought about Shun and his past. He’d been so forthcoming of his fears and his plans, illegal or not. Sophia just wanted to protect him and show him how love could save him. Her fear was that he didn’t want to be saved.
The thought of Shun possibly breaking her heart nearly made her pack up her things and retreat before he made it back home. She knew that if she came face-to-face with him again, he’d have to make her leave.
Sophia was busy making Shun’s bed and emptying the trash when she heard a frantic knock on the door. She hurried out of Shun’s bedroom and rushed to open the door.
“Hey!” Sophia exploded out of breath. She opened the door slightly irritated at whoever was knocking like the police.
“Who are you? Where’s Cyrus?” Brandy walked in, slamming and locking the door behind her, waving a nickel-plated 9 mm with a sweet pink handle.
“What the—” Sophia’s breath caught, and her chest pounded. She slowed her heart rate by calming her thoughts before she addressed her unwanted guest. “Cyrus isn’t here. He’s been gone all day. Is there something I can help you with?”
“I doubt it. What! You one of the new hoes or somethin’?”
“No, I’m Shun’s nurse,” Sophia replied, trying not to take offense to Brandy’s obvious disrespect. Considering she was the one with the gun, she figured she’d better just listen to what she had to say.
“Where’s Shun? Cyrus took my money. I need that money. They’re going to kill my mother and son in twenty-four hours if I don’t come up with that bread.” Brandy sat down, cradling her head in her hands. She was tweaking, and Sophia could tell. Brandy started beating herself in the head with the gun. She was so frustrated she didn’t know what to do, and her high was crashing down.
“Hey, let me get you some water. Perhaps we can figure this out. You mind putting that gun away? It’s making me a little nervous.” Sophia walked up to Brandy slowly in hopes of encouraging her to hand over the gun.
“Get the fuck away from me, you stupid bitch. I’m not dumb.” Brandy was irate and out of control, drooling as she spoke and rocking fast. She was unstable.
* * *
Shun pulled up to his home and noticed Brandy’s car out front. “Oh shit! What did Phil do now?” Shun said to himself, as he struggled to get out of his car without tearing his stitches. As he got closer to the door, he could hear Brandy screaming bloody murder.
He quickened his steps to the front door no matter the pain. He could see Brandy’s shadow waving a gun through the window. He knew then that Brandy was using again. She was volatile anyhow, but on drugs, she went from zero to ten in a matter of seconds. Shun pulled out his key slowly and quietly in hopes that Brandy wouldn’t hear him come in.
Brandy was so out of it, she was pacing the floor and waving the gun at Sophia, demanding she get Shun on the phone. Shun crept in behind her. Sophia trailed her eyes to the floor. She didn’t want to give away that Shun was in the room. He crept closer to Brandy. When he got within inches of her, he quickly grabbed her arm and confiscated her gun. Brandy flung her arms at her assailant, determined not to go down without a fight.
“Stop!” Shun ordered. “It’s me, Shun!”
Brandy flew into his arms, crying out and rambling something about stealing the money from Porsha and Phil. She tried to calm herself down by breathing deeply in and out as she shook her hands to relax. “Shun, you have to help me. I can’t find Cyrus. He took the money. I shot Porsha. I can’t find Phil. I only took the money because they were going to kill my mother and little Phil. Please, Shun. Please! You have to help.”
Shun let out a l
ong sigh and cuss as Brandy’s frame crashed into his wounded body. He looked puzzled at Brandy in her confession and was pissed that he was apparently left out of the loop on everything that he was told had taken place. Shun gingerly pushed Brandy away from him so that he could regain his composure. In that moment, he realized that those he had a little trust in, he couldn’t trust at all. Brandy’s shoulders shivered as she cried. Her nose was running, and panic was settling around her brow as her high began to end.
“What are you going to do?” Brandy whimpered.
Shun rubbed his face with his hand and scratched his head. He didn’t know how to respond. He had mixed emotions about her killing Porsha. What had gone down? He needed to find that out first.
CHAPTER 12
Who’s to Blame?
Phil lay next to Monica feeling a sense of comfort and release. He dreaded having to even get up, but he had to find a new car. He wasn’t sure how far the police were in linking the missing vehicle to possible suspects in Porsha’s murder. His plan was to get out of Dodge before any of that occurred.
Monica was fast asleep in Phil’s T-shirt. She looked so peaceful. She had so many dreams and the potential to reach them. Phil didn’t want to ruin her life with troubles of his own. He knew in that moment that he loved her. He couldn’t believe it himself. Still, he had no choice but to leave.
“I’m cursed,” Phil said to himself, as he quietly grabbed for his things. “It’s only a matter of time before my adversary takes his turn at winning. I’ll fall just as the men have fallen before me. I won’t bring you down with me,” Phil spoke quietly as he stared at Monica. Leaving her brought tears to his eyes. A part of him wanted her to wake up and stop him from leaving her. It was a cowardly thought. Selfishness came easy to him. For so long, all he truly had was himself. His children were those he held close, but dealing with the baby mama drama kept him at bay.
Phil swallowed the lump in his throat and reached for his keys. He quietly closed the front door and got into Porsha’s car. His plan was to stop for gas and take the trip to Merced.
* * *
Shun nearly started a fire pacing the rug on his living room floor. Beating his head with the butt of Brandy’s gun, he was so upset to find that a junkie killed Porsha for money. He was so angry with Brandy he wanted to punch her in the face. Sophia was getting increasingly worried as she watched Shun’s cognizance changeover. He was beastly, and Brandy’s future, from her perspective, was looking quite grim.
“Shun,” Sophia said softly, trying to get his attention in an effort to calm him.
“What!” Shun yelled uncontrollably. Sophia nearly jumped out of her skin. She retreated to the back bedroom and shut the door behind her. Shun walked hurriedly behind her. He wanted to stop her, but he stopped in front of his bedroom door. He didn’t have time for the dramatics. He had to figure out what the next move should be. With Cyrus out of commission and Phil MIA, he didn’t have a team. His injuries were far from healed, so he was limited in his plan of action, which further frustrated him. Shun stood at his bedroom door staring before he went back to address Brandy.
He was very quiet, searching for the right words for fear the anger in his chest would burst into flames. Instead of directing his full attention to the issue at hand, he retreated into the kitchen to grab a few buds of weed out of his secret stash. He needed to get high, fast. He was losing his sense of sensibility.
Shun sat down at his weed table and began to break down the weed for his blunts. Brandy looked on hungrily. He almost dared Brandy to ask for a fix. It would give him a reason to lay into her ass. He was this close to giving her a 3-D black eye. His hand involuntarily itched and curled into a fist.
Brandy sat on the couch biting her nails. She knew Porsha originally fucked with Shun, but she didn’t know how deep his feelings for the girl were. She just needed the money. Plus, she was fucking with her baby daddy unauthorized, so she handled it. Killed two birds with one stone, only Cyrus played her.
“Where the fuck is Phil, Brandy? Does he know about any of this shit?” Shun said, licking his blunt to seal its intoxicating fumes.
“He isn’t answering his phone. I’m worried. He was supposed to meet me in Merced.”
“Why?”
“He just said that he was going to spend a few weeks with little Phil.”
“All of a sudden? What does he know about Porsha? Was he in on it too?”
“No! I just needed the money. Straight-up, Shun. He didn’t know shit. Matter of fact, Cyrus was the one who told me to lie low. He would take care of the debt for me. He figured if the streets found out I took the money, they would come after me for sure. Little Phil would be in the middle of his parents’ fuckups. Again.”
“So you gave Cyrus the money in exchange for drugs.”
“No and yeah. He just offered the drugs. He knew I needed a fix. I went to my girl Cindy’s as planned, stayed the night, and was getting ready to head home when something told me that I’d better find Cyrus and make sure the bread was paid before I got home. I only have twenty-four hours left.”
“This is some bullshit! You know that, right? This man don’t know shit about what’s goin’ down, and he could possibly be walkin’ straight into a trap.” Shun rubbed his head as he took a few hits of his blunt. “Okay, okay!” he said, rubbing the frustration from his face. “This is what we gon’ do. We definitely need to call a meeting. Call these cats. See if we can get an extension. I don’t know how much you owe, but now Cyrus owes Tommy as well. He in the hospital, so I know he’s in danger. I need to get this meeting with Frankie together. You gon’ have to lie real low. No drugs, crime, none of that shit. We have to move fast. Get that man on the phone. We need to let him know what’s goin’ down, ASAP!”
Brandy looked extremely worried. Shit was getting entirely too real, and she couldn’t escape. Shun finished off his second blunt and left Brandy to call Phil while he worked things out with Sophia.
* * *
“Yo, nurse!” Cyrus yelled, struggling to move. “I gotta get out of here. I got shit to do.”
Cyrus was more than worried that Tommy’s boys were just inches away from his room. There was no way he was goin’ to stay the night there.
“Yes?” an old white nurse came barreling in.
Cyrus started pulling off his oxygen mask and various tubes, looking for an escape. The big man-looking nurse slammed her swollen vein-erupting hands down on his chest, suppressing his breathing. Cyrus panicked and starting flinging his arms and legs, paging a nurse for help.
“Calm down! No one is trying to hurt you.” The old nurse laughed at how paranoid he was. “Them boys must’ve put a hurtin’ on you. I always used to tell ma boys to be careful. You may write a check your ass can’t cash.” The old Southern nurse chuckled as she placed the rough hospital blanket close to his chin and ordered him to get some rest.
Cyrus grit his teeth in pain and frustration. He wanted to get up and run out of there, but he knew full well he wasn’t well enough to do so. His entire being was in so much pain. He wouldn’t last long on the streets this way, anyhow. He looked about the room and started to think about his mom and her last days. Now here he was, perhaps close to death, and no one to see it through with him.
“I fucked up,” Cyrus said to himself. He didn’t know how he was going to tell Phil that he may be the reason why his son was murdered. The fact that Brandy killed Porsha and stole the money was secondary at this point. Tears filled his eyes and soon stained his stiff white pillow.
* * *
Sophia had been crying, Shun could tell. She hadn’t even raised her head to meet his eyes. Her lips and cheeks were slightly swollen, as she had blown her nose. Sophia looked into Shun’s eyes and gently put her hair behind her ear. “Are you hungry? Do you need pain meds?”
Shun grew instantly angry at her inquiry. “Fuck that ‘you hungry?’ You okay? I was the one out of pocket. I ain’t used to no one genuinely givin’ a fuck about how I’m doing
or feel. Before, you were doing your job. Now, you here because you want to be. Because I want you to be.” Shun fixated on Sophia’s milk chocolate eyes as he pulled her close. “I want you to stay with me. I’m not used to this, but I want to learn with you. I’m sorry. I really am.”
Sophia stepped closer to Shun. She stood on her tippy toes and kissed him gently on his lips once. Then she smiled and bit her lip before kissing Shun hungrily and passionately.
“I’m here.”
* * *
Phil was doing great time on his small road trip. At the rate he was driving, he’d make it into Merced before dark. He noticed Brandy calling, but he simply shook his head and ignored her call. He would be there shortly. Whatever, it was could wait.
* * *
Shun ran his fingers through Sophia’s hair. “I’m glad you are here, baby. I hope you’ll stay for a while. I don’t plan on doing none of this shit after this meeting with Frankie.”
“Who is Frankie?”
“Just ma Italian homeboy. No need for you to worry. I’m just going to go and make this money and get myself out of this mess.”
Sophia smiled.
“I’m going to check on Cyrus. We need to get Phil back here as well. We have shit to do. I don’t want this nigga to walk into a shootout.”
CHAPTER 13
The Meeting
About two hours later, Phil was pulling up to Brandy’s mom’s home. He was so excited to see little Phil, he could hardly contain himself. Phil Junior was his pride and joy. Back then, Phil thought he and Brandy would be together forever, being high school sweethearts. Well, Brandy was his main chick in high school. His years in grade school were spent mostly outside the school gates. He met her in his homeroom class. From then on, they were inseparable. Brandy was studious back then, so into her studies that Phil was inclined to follow the same path.