by Aija Monique
Shun pulled into the Chevron to gas up and phone Frankie. He was about ten minutes late for his meeting time but wanted to make sure he knew they were still on. Cyrus would have to sit this one out in the car. He would be the joke of the bunch if he rolled up in hospital scrubs. Then again, the situation was that serious. There was no need for a dress-to-impress debut. Cyrus was always ready.
Frankie picked up the phone out of breath and out of sorts, like he was running a marathon. Shun was irritated that Frankie was playing around at a time like this. Shun already knew he was up to no good, fooling around with one of these local hussies. Bottom-feeders, money-hungry mongrels, all looking for a quick way to make a dolla.
“Yo, I’m back. Meet me at the warehouse,” Shun said without another word and hung up.
Frankie caught hold of his frustration but continued to handle his business. Frankie always fucked somethin’ before a meeting or drug transaction. He wanted to make sure he got one last nut in case shit when bad.
“I won’t be long,” Frankie joked and smiled at his Puerto Rican mami as he wiped the sweat from his brow.
* * *
“Brandy, wake up! Wake up! The boys will be back in a few.” Sophia came from Shun’s bedroom and noticed Brandy spread across the sofa haphazardly. Sophia headed for the kitchen to make her something to eat. Brandy didn’t make a sound. She looked okay from across the room, but as she got closer, she noticed how blue she was.
Sophia ran to check her pulse and pupils. She immediately picked up her cell phone to call 911, only as she proceeded to call, she noticed the empty vials of morphine on the coffee table just in front of her.
“Shit, this bitch just overdosed.” Sophia knew she couldn’t call it in. She had confiscated the meds from her job for Shun’s pain regimen. She would be fired and lose her license. Sophia collapsed into a chair at Shun’s weed table and simply shook her head. “Dumb bitch.”
* * *
Shun pulled into the warehouse and hopped out of the car as if his bones were well put together. He was soon reminded of his injuries when the cold winds ripped across the wound just under his clavicle. Frankie pulled in just a few minutes later, eyes low and a few blunts in. He was loud as shit, as if the business they were conducting was legit.
Cyrus stirred and came to, but immediately lowered his eyes and got a serious look on his face once he noticed Frankie was present.
“What’s the plan?” Cyrus asked Phil, groggy and irritated. “What you know about this nigga Frankie?”
“Frankie cool, bro! He was one of Shun’s boys in the service. Testified as a witness to Shun not murdering dude. But Shun had to keep the code of ethics. Seemed like everybody in his platoon rolled over on him. Frankie is loud and obnoxious, but he a solid dude. This plan is all on Shun. He seems to have all his ducks in a row. So I’m just waiting on instructions.” Phil looked down at the cut on his hand. He wasn’t sure where he got it from, but it hurt like a bitch.
“Yeah, okay. Excuse me if I am not all that excited about Shun’s marine partners. The last one shot him. I just got the shit kicked out of me. My reflexes may not be as swift this go-round.”
“No worries. I’m ready! Best believe I’m ready. I can’t believe Brandy’s ass would endanger the life of our son. She’s lost a number of brain cells since her drug use, but never has she stooped this low.” Phil shook his head and tried to control his emotions. All he wanted to do was hold his son.
“I know, man. I know,” Cyrus said, trailing off into a whisper. He felt so guilty about what happened to Phil’s son. He wanted to confess everything to him but knew that Phil would kill him. He had to make a decision about being truthful about the situation at some point. He would rather be the one to tell him than anyone else. Shun had extended him that much courtesy.
Cyrus made his way out of the car alongside Phil and joined the two men at the center of the warehouse. Two cars joined them shortly after. The deal was all set. Shun, Frankie, Cyrus, and Phil would join two members of the Mexican mob out of East LA to make the trade. They would then trade half the money for dope to Frankie’s connection, the other half of the money split between the four of them. This was the only way the two drug cartels could coexist. They traded what they needed from time to time and maintained separate territories.
Cyrus was anxious. The medicine was wearing off, and he really just wanted to get to the nearest bed.
“Shun, you think you can drop me off at my grandma house?”
“Sure. You all right, nigga?”
“Naw, yeah. Just need to lay ma ass down. Especially if we going to hit the road in the morning.”
“I feel that. I’m dog-tired as well. Only I know my night has just begun. Shit, Phil is about to go ham on Brandy. I’m too busted to help that girl too. Yo! She is definitely on her own.” Shun shook his head.
“Phil, let’s go!” Shun called out to Phil, who was getting to know his new Hispanic brethren.
“A’ight!” Phil jogged over to Shun’s car and hopped in. He was ready to hit the hay anyway. It had been a long, exhausting night.
About ten minutes later, Shun pulled into the front of Cyrus’s grandmother’s home. He got out gingerly and limped his way up to the front door. His granny answered almost immediately and embraced him. It was crazy how sweet and congenial Cyrus’s grandmother was, compared to his hot temper. His granny was often the only one who could calm Cyrus down. Cyrus looked back with a wave and closed the door as he handed his grandmother the medication the nurse at the hospital had given him.
The entire way back to his place, Shun made an effort to calm Phil. He didn’t want him to go in all crazy without thinking things through. It was quite possible that he would go off based on the mere sight of Brandy since Shun told him that she was there. Phil was calm, though, as they pulled out front.
The house was unusually dark, which Shun thought was odd being that he left the two girls home together. He pulled his keys out of his pocket and went to unlock the door. Before opening the door, he looked at Phil to get confirmation that he was going to keep his head. It was bad enough the woman had lost her mother in this situation as well. Phil nodded to let Shun know he was cool.
Shun opened the door to his crib and switched on the lights. There was Sophia, sitting in a chair in the middle of the living room with a gun pointed at her head.
“Shun, I didn’t do it, I swear.”
* * *
Cyrus made his way into his bedroom, relieved to see his queen-sized sleigh bed. He lay down as carefully as he could. Not five minutes later the phone rang.
“Yeah!”
“So we all set?”
“Yeah! Everything is in play. I may need a few things.”
“A few things?”
“Yeah! Meds. A few more guns, and a discrete wiretap. Yo! And don’t call this line again. You gon’ fuck around and blow ma cover!”
CHAPTER 15
End Game
“Sophia! Baby! Calm down. What happened here?” Shun put his hands up as he inched closer to her. He didn’t want to alarm her. Surprisingly, Phil was quiet. His eyes were wide with fear and hurt as he took in the scene.
Brandy was just lying there. Her chest was sunken in, and in her mouth held a few bubbles from her foaming. Phil and Shun had seen plenty of death surrounding their home. It was different, however, to see the life of a woman you loved end. Especially one who carried your firstborn.
Unable to contain himself, Phil fell to his knees. He was so upset he didn’t know what to do.
“I didn’t kill her. I’m going to lose my job when they come and pick up the body. I stole those drugs. I don’t have anything else to live for. I don’t have a family. It’s just me,” Sophia rambled on, looking out into space as if she was talking to someone else. Shun was so worried that she would pull the trigger before he could reach out safely and grab the gun, his hands began to sweat.
“Sophia, Brandy had a problem, okay? I don’t know what happened here, bu
t it’s not worth you taking your life too. I need you. I will take care of you now. I am your family.”
Sophia looked up from the floor and fixed her eyes on Shun’s to see if she could decipher the truth. Shun held her gaze as Phil whimpered softly in the background.
“Now give me the gun, baby.”
* * *
Cyrus lay in his bed thinking about his next move. He was in too deep, he had to admit. He actually cared for Phil and Shun. They had grown up together in the toughest of streets. He was rooting for Shun to make it out of the hood and stay out. Unfortunately, he was met with bad Karma. Cyrus thanked God for his blessings. He had been on the force for three years now and sworn into the DEA about ten months ago. It was his first real undercover gig. He just wished it didn’t involve his old friends from the hood. For many years, Cyrus was able to keep the heat off of Phil from afar by his connection to some of the boys in blue, but lately, they were hot on his trail. Phil’s drug trafficking was linked to other governing agencies that had their hands into mob money. So Phil’s headstrong attitude about not fooling around with the pigs meant that he was now the enemy.
Cyrus had more than once tried to get Phil in bed with some of the local drug cartels that were shared by the Kern County Sheriff’s Department, but Phil didn’t believe in sharing his hard-earned cash with anyone but those who ran with him. It was a cat-and-mouse deal with him. The police would have to catch him. Knowing Phil, he wasn’t going to go down without a fight. He lived and knew he would die by the gun.
Cyrus felt guilty as shit about his personal issues that were cause for suspicion. Though he was undercover, his gambling issue was very real. He had endangered the life of a very close friend’s son. One that called him uncle. Now, his betrayal was deeper than the sins he committed against his badge. Now, they ran so deep, they included those he considered blood.
Cyrus scrambled gingerly out of bed, trying with all his might not to tear anything. He needed to get his bandages changed. At the moment, he missed his little stolen nurse Sophia. He had confiscated her for Shun’s medical treatments. Now he was in desperate need of some as well. It seemed as though the three of them were just trading issues of Karma and injustice all the way around. It was becoming quite a task to stay out of trouble and on the right path. Cyrus shook his head as he peeled off the bandages wrapped around his torso. The bruising on his rib cage was horrifically painful.
“Shit!” he grimaced.
“You okay, hon?” Cyrus’s grandma asked as she heard him swear in passing.
“Sorry, Grandma!” Cyrus looked wide-eyed as if he were a twelve-year-old about to get reprimanded for using foul language. His grandmother just waved her finger and continued on to her room.
He rolled his head around to crack his neck and shoulder muscles. The stress of the case was really starting to get to him. A part of him wanted to drive down to Los Angeles, walk right into the precinct, and slam his badge down on his boss’s desk and quit. Only, if he left it up to his colleagues, they would shoot Shun and Phil in cold blood. He knew it. That was the only thing keeping him in good spirits about his dastardly deeds. He was essentially saving Phil’s and Shun’s lives.
Now, the money was a different story. He had to get that money to cover his debts with not only Tommy, but a few other violent folks that held his life in the palm of their hands. Cyrus’s pregnant wife, Sasha, was being watched. She was in the comforts of their home but wasn’t in good company. Tommy’s boys weren’t going to go away without restitution, and then some. Cyrus tried to rub the frustration from his face. He was sleepy, but with so much on his mind, he just couldn’t sleep.
* * *
Phil and Shun wrapped Brandy’s body in a sheet and took her out to the car after midnight. They didn’t want to run the risk of a nosy neighbor spotting them. Sophia was fast asleep after a long hot bath and a sleeping pill. Shun felt safe enough to leave her alone for a few to get rid of the body. Phil had turned completely numb at this point. His body was in full motion, but his mind was out to lunch. He answered on cue, simple yes-and-no questions, but feelings of anger, sadness, or confusion were met with a blank stare. Shun was afraid that Phil had cracked. He didn’t want to bring up the trip. He honestly just wanted Phil to get some sleep. He needed another sharpshooter. Shun knew he would be slow reacting, but he would be the eyes and ears, no doubt.
There was plenty dirt and desert out in Bakersfield, so finding a spot to bury a body in the dead of night wasn’t an issue. Shun and Phil dug for what seemed like hours. The night air was crisp. It numbed Shun enough to get through the pain of digging. He was sure his arm would hurt so bad he would damn near want to cut it off once he slowed down and brought his body to rest. His mind was gone as well for the time being. He was so worried about Sophia. He didn’t realize how much he truly cared for her. She was right. She had risked so much for him, he didn’t want to hurt her by bringing her into a world she wasn’t accustomed to.
Phil looked into Shun’s face and saw the same fears he had less than twenty-four hours ago when he made the decision to leave Monica.
“You know you’re going to have to let that girl go, right? You owe her better than what you can give her.” Phil didn’t bother to look at Shun when he spoke. He already knew what it was.
“Man, don’t I deserve to be happy sometime?”
“You selfish, bro! You know good and well you dragging that girl into some shit she may not recover from. And before you begin, I know it’s her decision. I also know that she would follow you. You have to have enough sense to know that the shit ain’t right, ma nigga.”
Phil was getting angry as he spoke. He couldn’t believe Shun on one hand, but he could definitely relate on the other. The thing was, Shun was usually the one to reason with everyone about the foul shit they were doing. In that moment, however, Phil knew that a change was going to have to come to pass. There he stood in the dead of night, adding another body to his roster. No, he hadn’t killed her, but he played a part in it. The bottom line was that he was a single father now. He didn’t have a mother he could just drop his kid off with so he could do his dirt.
It was time to man up, and Phil was maturing in just the last few hours. He was hurting that Brandy was gone, but she made that choice. He couldn’t even place blame on Sophia. The guilt probably ate her ass up. She knew what she did was fucked up. What he wanted to know was why Brandy was back out here anyway. She said she was going home and he would meet her there.
Shun and Phil were relieved when they finally got the chance to toss Brandy’s body into a deep grave and cover up the unfortunate incident. There was no way Shun was going to let Sophia go down for possible foul play or lose her license for him. After all, she was working to ensure he was okay.
* * *
The night’s moon soon changed to a rising sun. Shun had about two hours of restless sleep. He stayed up most of the night watching Sophia sleep. Phil was still sitting up on the couch where he left him, staring out into space with his gun on his lap. Shun ventured into the kitchen to make a big pot of coffee. He needed to wake up, and so did Phil.
“You call them niggas?” Phil said. He sat stiff as a board and was militant in his speech.
“Yeah! Frankie is tryin’a get rid of this Puerto Rican chick he keep fuckin’ on, and Cyrus is already on his way.”
“Aye!” Phil interrupted Shun’s rundown of the crew. “Did Brandy ever say why she was still out here in Kern? For the life of me, I can’t get that off my mind. Like, I told her to head home, and I’d meet her there. I stopped off at Monica’s, but I wasn’t late cuz I left her. It’s just bothering me, is all. Was she high? I mean, I know she took the morphine, but was she using again? Where she get the shit from? Cuz, yo, Shun, niggas out here know not to give ma baby mama shit.” Phil was becoming more irate as he spoke.
Shun busied himself pouring the coffee. He was searching for words to clear his mind for the time being. He needed both Cyrus and Phil on this job. If Phi
l found out it was his partner in crime that stole the lifeline Brandy was clinging to, he would be sure to kill Cy. “Man, Brandy was on when I last saw her. She was high when she got here, ma nigga. I don’t know what was going on back home. But there is nothing we can do now. Your son has to be the focus. Put this shit behind you or not.”
“Okay. Somethin’ ain’t right, though. I been up all night trying to put this shit together.”
“We’ll get to the bottom of things later.” Shun handed Phil a cup of coffee and encouraged him to drink up. Phil was more of a Pepsi-and-blunt guy. Shun had graduated to some of the finer things in life after fooling around with what he liked to call “White Bread.”
Sophia finally came to and joined the two men in the living room. She smiled at Shun and took a seat at the kitchen bar. Shun poured her a cup of coffee and stared into her eyes as she took a long sip.
“I’m sorry,” she mouthed at Shun. Shun just smiled and continued to drink.
Phil looked on at the two of them carrying on. He wanted to get up and slap the shit out of Shun with the butt of his gun. Instead, he strolled to the kitchen sink. He poured out the remaining tidbit of coffee and introduced himself to Sophia.
“You know if you stay with this man, you will most likely be killed. Since he doesn’t have the balls to tell you to leave, I will. You seem like a very nice woman, and I appreciate everything you’ve done for my cousin, but this is for your own good.” Phil extended his arm as if to show her to the door.
Sophia was shocked. Shun quietly set his cup down and began his approach in a very calm tone. “Phil, take a seat. Roll your ass a blunt. This will be your only warning.” Shun was dead-ass serious, as he could feel the heat from his chest rising.
Sophia was beginning to get uncomfortable. She didn’t want Shun getting into an altercation with his wounds still fairly fresh.