“So, it could be them,” Lorna said. “Don’t argue with me. I’m tellin’ you. Sometimes, the people that you think are your friends, ain’t really your friends. And if you insist on living in that life – the life we not gon talk about – then you really gotta know that some of these niggas out here ain’t really on your side. I think you need to do what is best for you.”
“I’m a grown man,” Marcus said.
“You almost died today, son,” Lorna said. “And you are still my child no matter how grown you get. I almost died my damn self crying on the way over here from work when Kayla called me and told me what happened. You wanna know what I really think?”
“What?” Marcus asked, knowing that his mother was about to tell him whether he wanted to know or not.
“I think you should go stay with your cousin Larry up in Fort Wayne,” Lorna said. “It would put you out of dodge for a while in case these people try to come back and try again once they hear that not one of their bullets killed you. And trust me, I really do think that they gon’ come back and try again. This wasn’t no fuckin’ warning or no shit to scare you, Marcus. This was a hit no matter how you look at it. And once they find out that you alive and well and walking around, they gon’ try again. I bet they will.”
Just as Lorna was finishing her sentence, she could feel a dark presence coming over her. She turned toward the doorway to find her brother, Roy, approaching the doorway. Roy could only be described as tall and burly. His beard was particularly thick, especially during the winter months. A black hat sat on his bald head. At six foot five inches tall, the 42 year old had a presence about him that just sort of commanded the attention and respect of the room. Dressed in a black suede coat, black jeans, and a red button-up shirt, he stepped into the room. Immediately, Lorna rolled her eyes.
“Hey, wassup Roy?” Lorna said, greeting her brother.
Roy gave Lorna a quick hug and could instantly feel how cold she was. He was not going to question it though, considering that her child was laying up in a hospital bed with a gunshot wound to the shoulder at 20-something years old.
“Hello Lorna,” Roy said. He then looked at Marcus. “Brandon called me earlier and told me what happened. I was on the road at the time, but I got here as soon as I could.”
“Wassup Uncle?” Marcus said. A little smile formed on his face.
Lorna went and sat back down next to Kayla. The two looked at one another with Lorna rolling her eyes before she folded her eyes and legs. She clearly smelled bullshit all over her brother’s showing up.
“Wassup lil’ nigga,” Roy said. “So, now it’s time for you to tell me. What the fuck happened?”
Marcus looked at Kayla then back to his uncle.
“Me and Kayla was at my place when these two dudes pulled up and just started shooting at the apartment,” Marcus said. “I was standing in front of the patio door and just so happened to be looking out when I saw’em pull up. Next thing I know, they getting out, each one holding a gun. A tried to get down as quick as a good, but…guess I couldn’t get down fast enough.” He pointed at his shoulder. “I got hit, in the shoulder. Earlier, the doctors operated and pulled the bullet out. Not too long ago, though, they came in here saying that I’d be able to go home tonight.”
“Oh,” Roy said. “Yeah?”
“Yeah,” Marcus said, nodding. “They came in here talking about the hospital being crowded or some stuff and not really wanting to keep people that didn’t need to be kept. The bullet didn’t get that deep into me so I can go home tonight, he said.”
“I know you happy to hear that,” Roy said. Just then, out of the corner of his eye, he noticed Kayla sitting over next to Lorna. He smiled. “It’s a good thing you weren’t hurt, Kayla.”
Kayla shook her head. “Naw,” she said. “I wasn’t. I was in the bathroom when the bullets start flying. I was washing my hands and next thing I know, it was so loud and I could hear glass breaking. I just hurried up and got down onto the floor, as low as I could.”
“I see,” Roy said. He stepped over to Kayla and gave her a quick hug. “Well, I am certainly glad to hear that it wasn’t any worse. It really could have been.”
“That’s exactly what I’m saying,” Lorna said. She unfolded her legs and arms then stood up and approached Marcus’ bed. “That why I was just saying he need to get outta dodge until shit cool down a lil' bit. I was thinkin’ he go stay with Larry, up in Fort Wayne.”
“Go stay up in Fort Wayne?” Roy asked, surprised. “Why would you want him to do something like that?”
“Cause, Roy,” Lorna said in a very stern way. “Whoever did this was obviously try’na take his life. And I know…I know, I know, I know…that they just gon’ try again. C’mon, Roy. Help me talk some sense into this boy. You know how these niggas out here are nowadays. They ain’t got shit else to do but to kill and shit. Why else would they shoot up in his apartment in broad daylight, and in a bunch of snow at that? Whoever mad at him ain’t gon stop at one try, especially when they find out that the bullet didn’t kill him.”
Roy slowly turned back to his nephew Marcus. There were so many things that he wanted to say right then However, he knew that they were things he could only talk with Marcus about when his mother was not around. It was already bad enough that his mother blamed him, in many ways, for getting her son involved in that life. Now, with him being shot in the shoulder, Roy knew that his younger sister would hold this over his head for as long as either of them lived.
“I don’t know, Marcus,” Roy said. “Your mother might be on to something. They prolly will try again. And if you go stay up in Fort Wayne for a little while, that could help. At least there would be some distance between you and these niggas.”
Marcus shook his head. “That gon’ make it look like I’m runnin,” he said, surprised that nigga as hard as his uncle would even be going along with such a scenario.
“Well,” Roy said. “How would it have looked if that bullet had hit just a few more inches over? Then what would you be saying?”
Marcus had no choice but to be quiet. He knew what that meant and he understood exactly what his uncle was saying.
“It’s the only thing that make sense to me,” Lorna said. “I already talked to Larry earlier. I was talkin’ to his mother and got his number from her. At least he’d be somewhere that whoever wouldn’t be looking for him.”
“Yeah,” Roy said. “That’s one way to think about it. But for how long?”
Lorna shrugged. “Fuck if I know,” she said. “I’m not the one caught up in that lifestyle.” Her head shook. “I told him about this stuff and now this done happened. Whatever you did, Marcus, you need to fix it.”
“Who said I even did something, Mama?” Marcus asked. “Huh? Why you even gotta go there?”
“Marcus,” Lorna said. “Whether you did something or not, you got some niggas after you that are trying to blow your fuckin’ head off. You can act all tough and shit if you want to, but you obviously ain’t tough enough to stand up to no bullet. Son, I just wish that you would use your head and shit. Stop thinking about what them so called friends of yours think. Plus, if you go up to Ft. Wayne, I don’t suggest you tellin’ them that you up there either.”
“Who you talkin’ bout, Lorna?” Roy asked.
Lorna rolled her eyes. “That Brandon and Juan,” she answered. “You know I done told you how I felt about the both of them. They just look like a couple niggas that you can’t trust. I don’t even know why you gotta full around with those people. I swear I think they….nothing.”
“You think they what?” Roy asked, wanting to hear his sister finish her sentence.
“Roy, I think they had something to do with this shit,” Lorna said. “Something about them. I swear to God I think they had something to do with this shit. There are just too many coincidences for me, on top of them both being some shady little fucks.”
“Lorna,” Roy said. “I think you need to calm down and think about what�
��chu saying. Why would Brandon and Juan do this to they boy Marcus?”
“Why wouldn’t they?” Lorna asked. “Roy, you wasn’t born yesterday and you certainly not new out on them streets. You know how niggas get jealous and stuff, for whatever reason. I don’ t know and I don’t want to know. I was just lettin’ it be known how I feel about all this.”
At this point, Kayla could not take anymore. She knew now more than ever that she needed to let them all know what she knew. If nothing else, it would put Lorna’s mind at ease so she would not have to blame Brandon and Juan anymore. Kayla stood up and approached the bed.
“Well, actually,” Kayla said, hesitantly. “At first, I wasn’t gon say nothin’ Miss Lorna, because I kinda thought the same thing, but…”
“But what, Kayla?” Lorna asked, clearly very concerned and interested. “But what?”
“Earlier, when I went home,” Kayla said, feeling everybody’s attention in the room on her. “My little brother and sister was out front, playing in the snow.”
“Yeah, yeah,” Lorna said.
“And when they came inside, they told me that some guys in a car pulled up and asked if Marcus was there,” Kayla said.
Lorna’s eyes widened. Her head began to shake as she covered her mouth and looked at her son. Marcus, too, looked surprised. Immediately, he wanted to know why Kayla was waiting to just now say something. Before he could even open his mouth to say something, Kayla picked up on what was coming and got ahead of it.
“I don’t know why I didn’t say nothin’,” Kayla said. “At first, I thought I was just bein’ paranoid. I was gon’ wait till later to maybe say somethin’ but I been over here thinkin’ bout it over and over. I know it couldn’t have been Brandon and Juan cause when I got back up to the hospital earlier, y’all had said that they hadn’t gone anyway.”
Marcus shook his head. “Naw, they didn’t,” he said. “Not while you was gone, anyway. But what these two dudes look like?”
Kayla shrugged. “I don’t know,” she answered. “Latrell and Linell came back inside and told me that it was just two dudes that asked if you was there. I ain’t get to see’em or nothing.”
“You be over in her area providing your services?” Lorna asked her son, emphasizing the word “services.”
Marcus, reluctantly, answered. “I mean,” he said. “I know a couple niggas over there, but not like that.”
“All it takes is one,” Roy said. “I don’t wanna tell you to not worry, cause I know I would be worrying a little bit, but it could just be a coincidence. If he deal with people over there then they might think that he stay over there. Just make sure when you go home and shit tonight, to watch your back. Make sure you constantly looking at your surroundings.”
Kayla nodded. “I will,” she said, in understanding.
Just then, a nurse came into the room. She announced that she was there to get the process started for Marcus going home tonight instead of staying the night in the hospital. Even to her, the tension in the room was high as everyone dispersed from the end of the bed when she entered. As Roy stepped to the side, he looked at his nephew – a cold, long look in the eye. This right here let Marcus know exactly what he was thinking.
***
Terrell sat across from Brandon and Juan, smoking on his cigarette, in the front room of his house on King. He had just told Brandon and Juan about what Marcus was caught up in. He was now taking in their surprised face, letting him know that they clearly had no idea.
“Marcus was fuckin’ round with Tweety?” Brandon asked, surprised.
Terrell nodded. “Yup,” he said. “Or, at least, that’s what they out there sayin’. Word got around fast that he smashed her too. Hakim hit me up when he heard about it since I know Marcus more-so than he do.”
Just then, Brandon and Juan made eye contact – the kind of eye contact that friends make when they know just what the other one is thinking. At that very moment, they both were wondering why Terrell hadn’t hit up Marcus about all of this. Brandon then thought about why Marcus had not told either him or Juan about this.
“Man, I don’ t know,” Brandon said. “I don’ t know if I believe that.”
“Yeah,” Juan said, shaking his head. “I mean, why would Marcus smash Hakim’s girl like that when he got his own, Kayla?”
Terrell looked at Juan and Brandon as if that was a stupid question. “Nigga, what you mean,” he said. “You seen Tweety, haven’t you?”
Brandon and Juan nodded before Juan answered. “Fuck yeah,” he said. “She bad.”
“Bad ain’t even the word, my nigga,” Terrell said. “That bitch got a ass that won’t quit. I know y’all heard about the last nigga that fucked around with Hakim’s chick.”
“Naw,” Brandon said, shaking his head. “I mean, before you, we ain’t really know him like that. We had heard of him at met him around at a couple places, but never really talked to him or no shit like that.”
“Well,” Terrell said. “Let’s just say it ain’t turn out good for that nigga. From what I heard, Hakim embarrassed that nigga on his own fuckin’ street. Held a gun to his head, made him strip down to where he was naked.” Terrell’s head shook. “After he talked shit to him right there in front of everybody, while he was naked, he told the nigga to walk his lil’ dick self home. Apparently, when he got down the street a little ways, Hakim started firing his gun, making him cut out running, naked like that, between two houses and shit. He ain’t never show his face on his own street again.”
“Damn,” Brandon said, shaking his head. “That shit is foul.”
“Right,” Terrell said, nodding. “Just imagine if you combine fuckin’ around with his chick with some of his shit coming up missing from the trip up from down south. Ya boy Marcus is out here in a lot of trouble.”
“And he ain’t even tell us,” Brandon said, trying to make sense of all this.
“Well,” Terrell said. “When Hakim called me to ask me if I knew anything about it, I kept it one hundred with him. I told him I really ain’t know the nigga like that, and I damn sure ain’t know that he was smashin’ his chick. If I knew he was gon’ do some shit like that, I put that on everything I would have warned him and shit, just like I warned you. You don’t wanna fuck around with no nigga’s woman if you can help it. You sure don’t wanna fuck around with Hakim’s, let alone fuck with his shit.”
There was then a long, awkward silence.
“So, now Hakim sayin’ that Marcus done smashed his chick, Tweety?” Juan asked.
“Yep,” Terrell answered. “I ain’t know y’all even knew Tweety.”
“I used to stay over by here when I lived out east,” Brandon said. “So, that’s how I know her. I feel like she mighta been in a couple of classes with my half-sister back in high school and maybe I used to hear about her that way too. I seen her, though. She bad.”
“Yeah, you right about that,” Juan said. “I only knew her by her name but I never had really had much interaction or nothin’ with her.”
“Hold up, though,” Brandon said. “How do Marcus even know her like that, to where he would be smashing her and shit?”
“That’s what I thought you would know,” Terrell said. “And more importantly, where did it go down and how did Hakim find out about it? It’s interesting he found out about that after Marcus come back with that work from down south and the shit come up short.”
“Maybe he did smash that Tweety chick,” Brandon said. “But I don’t know if I believe that he would drive all the way back up from Texas or Arkansas or Louisiana or wherever and short that nigga Hakim on his own shit. I mean, Marcus ain’t no dummy. He know that just like him, everybody else got scales and stuff too to know how much of what is going where. That is the part that just don’t make no sense to me, nigga. I’m havin’ a hard time believin’ that.”
“I was thinkin’ the same thing,” Terrell said, putting his cigarette out into a plant by the window behind where he sat. “But I know that that’s t
he shit that got Hakim fired up. He sounded super shitty when he called me. Now that I think about it, he was also sayin’ some shit about how he had talked to ya boy Marcus about everything and how he just didn’t like bein’ lied to and shit.”
Juan and Brandon made eye contact with one another again.
“Look, niggas,” Terrell said, standing back up. He could feel his dick was getting to the point where he was ready to get back into his bedroom and finish what he was doing with the thick redbone. “I got this phat ass hoe in there right now waitin’ on this dick,” Terrell said. “So I’mma just keep it one hundred with the two of you since y’all niggas seem like cool dudes and stuff. I know Marcus is your boy and shit and you just lookin’ out for him, like any real niggas would. But, take it from me or not, you might wanna fall back a little bit until all this blow over. That nigga Hakim is fuckin’ fired up about whatever went wrong between him and Marcus. And I don’t think he the kinda nigga who just gon let it go and forget about it. Somethin’ tellin’ me that once he find out that Marcus is in the hospital and didn’t get killed, there gon be some more sparks. Might be best if y’all just stay out the way and lay low before somebody come lookin’ for one of you cause they think you got somethin’ to do with it.”
On that note, Brandon and Juan stood up. They shook hands with Terrell, as it was clear that he was about to go on back to handling his business. As Terrell saw them out, he told them to be careful out there. Brandon and Juan walked down the walkway from Terrell’s front door to Brandon’s Chevy Impala. As soon as they got into their seats, they looked at each other. Everything seemed to get so real at that very moment.
“So,” Juan said. “What you wanna do?”
Letting his car warm up a little bit, Brandon leaned his head back into the headrest and thought about it for a second. He sure was not expecting to hear the things they’d heard from Terrell – things that would change the entire situation. Hakim was what can only be described as well established. If he indeed was after Marcus, he would be a lot harder to deal with than some ordinary nigga out in the street. And Brandon and Juan both knew that.
Who Can I Trust: A Naptown Hood Drama (Trust Issues Book 1) Page 12