by Sasha Ravae
“Whatever, Mar, can we finally get to work?”
“I was waiting on you.”
“I’m here, so what’s up?”
“Well, now with all this extra work we’re bringing in each month, I was able to setup a few more traps in the Bay. That area is completely untapped for us. I mean they got movers out there of course, but nobody’s fucking with our shit, and I know that for a fact. I’ve met up with all the top soldiers across the country, and now we’ll all be working as one. One RG, feel me? Niggas were hesitant at first because you know Jonah never let one group know about the other.”
“He did that just in case people got to talking. They couldn’t implicate him on shit they knew nothing about.”
“I feel it, but for me, I need to know who I’m working with. How am I supposed to trust someone I’ve never met?”
“I get it,” Trina said.
“So the new pipeline in Houston has been established. I went up to Pearland last week to meet up with Zay. He was more than ready for the restructure.
“So we’re all set for tomorrow?”
“More than ready. We’ll have the $10 million Franco fronted us plus some to say thank you. It’s flood season, baby.”
“Good shit. I know that we’re still getting used to Jonah and Reko not being here,” Trina said staring down at the spotless oatmeal-colored carpet, “But I think we’re doing okay.”
“Okay? Trina, we brought in over $15 million just last month. Our names are buzzing right now.”
“I’m committed to this, Omari. I’m ready. Let’s get this money.”
Chapter 8
The next day, Trina walked out of the house with her black and gold sunglasses neatly resting against her face and stood on the curb as her driver loaded her bags into the trunk. The honey-colored maxi dress she wore gently blew under the cool breeze that caressed her skin. As she waited, her phone began to ring.
“Hello?” she said answering it before it went to voicemail.
“You at the airport yet?” Ron’s voice boomed into the phone.
“No, I’m like five minutes away,” she said continuing to watch the driver load her bags.
“Trina, you haven’t even left yet?”
“No,” she said laughing a little.
“Why do you lie so much?”
“Cause you’re always on my ass. I woke up late, okay? But the plane doesn’t even leave for like another hour.”
“But you still have to check in…”
“I’ll make it, Dad.”
“Whatever, blood, what would you even be doing if I didn’t stay on that fat ass?”
“Bye, Ron, I’ll see you in Miami,” she said hanging up the phone.
“Ready to go, ma’am?” the older white driver asked opening the side door.
“Thank you,” she said getting inside. She looked around the empty, spacious limo as they began to drive. She was so used to travelling with Ron, but that day, he decided to take a later flight leaving her to fend for herself.
As they headed toward the airport, she stared at the window getting lost in the blurred scenery that passed. J. Stalin’s “Who Are You?” suddenly started playing snapping her back inside.
“Yes, Los,” she said sighing into the phone.
“Damn, can I get a, ‘hi’ or anything?”
“Hi, now what do you want?”
“To see you.”
“Well, that can’t happen today.”
“Why not? You still call yourself being mad?”
“No, and I was never mad by the way. I’m on my way to Miami.”
“What you going to Miami for?”
“Business if that’s okay.”
“Business? What do you do?” he asked as his ears perked up a little.
“It’s complicated, but I’ma be down there for a few days.”
“Well, I can be down there too.”
“In Miami?”
“Yeah, that’s just a quick flight. I know you think that I’m playing, but I really wanna make everything up to you. I acted like a jackass as usual, so if you can’t come to me, I’ll come to you.”
“Los, I don’t know.”
“Look, go and get settled and then hit me. If I don’t hear from you then I’ll take the hint, baby, and I’ll leave you alone.”
“For good?”
“For good, Trina. If you don’t want to see me then I don’t want to force the issue, feel me? Just think about it,” he said hanging up the phone.
Trina laid her head back on the headrest and closed her eyes. She wanted to see Los more than anything, but she wasn’t going to Miami for pleasure, so where would he fit in?
“I’m not calling,” she said to herself as she sat her phone down on the seat next to her.
Eight hours later, Trina found herself back in Miami, but this time the air felt different. She felt stronger than ever and was ready to get down to business. Omari left earlier that morning, so he agreed to pick her up from the airport; Trina wanted them to drive to Franco’s together.
After getting her bags from Baggage Claim, she walked outside into the thick air. It didn’t take long to see Omari parked in a No Parking zone.
“You been here long?” Trina asked walking up to his window.
“Naw, Ron told me that you were playing and left hella late, so I waited a minute before I left the telly.”
“Where you staying at?”
“The Ritz down in Bal Harbour. Where you at?”
“I haven’t booked my room yet, but I’ll do that when we finish up with everything. I’ll probably just get one where you’re at.”
“Yeah, it’s cool. It’s on the beach,” he said getting out of the truck to help Trina with her bags.
“So, we pay Franco, go over the numbers, and then what?” she asked climbing into the truck.
“Business, Trina,” he said closing the trunk.
“I know that, but I never went to the meetings Jonah used to have with Franco alone. I just wanna make sure I’m on point, you know?”
“You’re fine, Trina,” Omari said getting back into the car. He turned the key and slowly pulled out into the traffic that filled each lane in front of the terminals.
“So you’re not gonna tell me?”
“There’s nothing to tell. Do you trust me?” he asked looking over at her.
Why does everyone keep asking me that? “I trust you,” she didn’t hesitate to say.
“Okay then, sit back,” he said turning up the radio. Kendrick Lamar’s “Average Joe” filled the car. She watched as Omari continued to drive but said nothing. He seemed so restless. His hands gripped the steering wheel until the white of his knuckles showed.
He raced up highway 95 as the music played, and with each minute that passed, her anxiety grew. She tried to focus on the sun that was beginning to set, but the oranges, pinks, and whites that lightly painted the sky distracted her. The scene was so serene, but she was unable to find her peace in the midst of their silence.
“Omari, you’re scaring me,” she said unable to take it anymore.
“Trina, please just trust me. If you know too much, it’ll be bad for both of us. This is what you wanted, right? A chair at the head of the table? Well, you got that now,” he said pulling into the same driveway they had been in time and time again over the past few months. The gravel crackled under the truck’s tires as Omari finally came to a stop. He kept the overly bright headlights on illuminating the dark path that led up to Franco’s estate.
“Go,” he said unlocking the doors. The loud clicking sound sent chills throughout Trina’s body.
“What?”
“Go,” he repeated, but he never looked at her once.
Trina did as she was told and lightly walked across the gray rocks that covered the sandy ground. Just as she was about to press the button on the call box, the gate quickly swung open. She took a deep breath and walked inside, but when she turned around, Omari was pulling out of the driveway without as mu
ch as a word. Trina looked around the darkness and could barely see her hand sitting in front of her face.
I’m tripping out, she thought to herself, This is Omari and Franco we’re talking about.
She grabbed the bottom side of her dress and walked up the winding road up to Franco’s front door, but before she even reached it, he walked out from around the house.
“Franco, oh my god, I’m so glad I found you. Omari was here, but for some reason he left,” she said before everything went black.
. . .
“Help me,” Trina screamed, but no one responded. “Why are you doing this?” The ties around her wrist began to cut into her skin and struggling only made the pain worse. The black bag that was placed over her face made her hyperventilate underneath it as silence surrounded her. She felt like she was going to pass out.
“Trina, Trina, calm down, mami,” she finally heard Franco say as he walked toward her, “Stand up.”
In fear of her life, she stood up without hesitation. Franco cut the zip ties that bound her wrists together and gently pulled the bag from over her head. When she opened her eyes, she saw Franco standing in front of her with a fire blazing behind him. Omari, Ron, and a few other captains surrounded the wooded area dressed in all-black.
“What is this?” she asked terrified by the cult-like display, “Are you gonna kill me?” She couldn’t help but to let the tears flow.
“Shhhh,” Franco said placing his finger over her tear-stained lips, “Of course not. We never kill one of our own, and you are one of us, aren’t you, Trina?”
“Yes,” she said in between sobs.
“Diosa, tonight you are being inducted into the Rich Gang. This is a process Jonah and Omari have been through, and all of our brothers before them. Are you ready to accept this life?”
“Yes,” she said quietly. She looked around, and all eyes were on her, but no one said anything.
“Give me your hands, Trina.”
She reached out for Franco’s hand as he led closer to the fire that grew bigger with each passing second.
“Trina, you are now in a position to know the truth about Jonah. He dedicated his life to me and to this organization, and he was bound by blood as we all are. You will not be the exception.”
He grabbed her right hand, and in one swift motion, he pulled out a six-inch blade and slit the tip of her ring finger wide open. Blood quickly spilled onto the dirt as it trickled down her hand. Franco pulled her even closer to the fire and let her hand hang over the flame. The fire crackled and popped with each crimson drop that fell.
“Trina Nicole Mitchell, you are now bound to this family by blood. You being the first woman of RG, you are now married to this life, and you will forsake all else for the best interest of the organization. We are a family, and family comes first. Jonah was your family, right?”
“He was more than my family,” Trina she watching her blood continue to spill.
“Are you willing to do anything for this family?”
“Yes.”
“Your blood represents the oath you have taken tonight. If this oath is broken, you will burn within the fire.” Franco walked up to Trina and kissed her on the cheeks before he wrapped up her finger in cloth. “Now, Trina, there’s one last thing you must do to make this initiation complete. Ron, will you come here?”
Ron walked from behind the fire until he was standing side-by-side with Trina.
“Now as everyone in RG knows, there are protocols and procedures that we must follow to avoid chaos, comprende? It has come to my attention that a very sacred rule has been broken.”
Trina looked up at Ron who had his eyes on the ground.
“Where’s Reko?” Franco asked twirling his knife around his fingers.
“He’s dead,” Ron volunteered. He was already aware of his punishment.
“Who killed him, Ron?”
“I did,” Trina said not giving him a chance to speak.
“Is this true, Ron?”
“No, Franco, I killed Reko. It was me.”
“Trina, to keep loyalty strong in the family, rule number one is that you do not kill one of your own.”
“But Reko was trying to kill…”
“It does not matter,” Franco snapped, “We are one. We need to restore order within the family.” He pulled a loaded gun from behind his back and handed it to Trina. “Get on your knees.”
Ron slowly got down on his knees ready to accept his fate. He knew what he was doing when he killed Reko, but keeping his promise to Jonah, his boss, meant everything to him.
“I can’t do this,” she said refusing to take the gun.
“You don’t have a choice, mami,” he said forcing the black piece of metal into her small hands.
The light from the fire flickered off Ron’s caramel-colored skin reflecting the sweat beads that lined his forehead.
“It’s okay,” he said looking her in the eye, “I knew what I was doing.”
“Ron…,” she said as tears began to fall again.
“Trina, your blood is now within the family. If you don’t restore balance that means you are an imbalance as well, and we’ll have to act accordingly. What I’m trying to say is that you have no choice, niña,” Franco barked.
Ron pulled the barrel of the gun and placed it in the middle of his forehead. “Please just do it, shorty,” he said looking her in the eyes, “It’ll be worst for you if you don’t.”
Trina’s hand trembled as she played with the trigger. Everything in her wanted to run the other way, but she had pledged herself to the life, and now, she had to play by their rules.
“I’m sorry,” she said closing her eyes.
BOOM.
Ron’s body fell back into a pile of ashes that sat beside the fire. The blood that poured from the hole Trina put in his head mixed in with hers.
“It had to be done,” Franco said rubbing her shoulders and taking the gun from her hands, “Welcome to the family.”
. . .
The next morning, Trina woke up in a king size bed in the middle of a penthouse suite. She rolled over a few times before her feet hit the floor completely unaware of where she was. She got up and walked into the bathroom and stared at her reflection. Her makeup and golden hair were all over the place, her lips tasted like wine and smoke, and all she could see was the gun going off over and over again in her head. After Jonah died, Ron became the closest person to her. He saved her life, and now there was no way she could repay him. She walked into the kitchen area to see a huge yellow cellophane wrapped basket filled with various tropical fruits. Enjoy your time in Miami. –Franco
Trina had no idea what she had gotten herself into. She thought that she was continuing Jonah’s legacy, but she truly had no idea how deep his work really went. She now knew she was bound by the devil. She walked back over to the bed and searched through the mountain of plush covers and pillows for her phone. She needed answers, so she quickly dialed Omari’s number.
“Hello?” he said finally answering before the call went to voicemail.
“Omari, where are you?” she whispered into the phone as she paced around the suite checking out the other areas to make sure she was actually alone.
“Trina, why are you whispering?”
“Where are you?” she asked again.
“I’m in my room. Where are you?”
“I don’t know, but I need you to come and get me now. I’ll try and get the address,” she said looking for her shoes.
“You left your room?”
“Room?”
“Yeah, I dropped you off at the Setai before I went back to mine. You left?”
Trina stared down at the small, crystal coaster with the hotel’s logo etched into it sitting on the nightstand.
“No, I guess I didn’t,” she said slowly sitting down on the bed, “Omari, what the fuck is going on?”
“We can talk about all that later,” he hurried to say.
“No, we’ll talk about it now. I come
up here for a meeting and end up getting kidnapped and almost sacrificed. Why didn’t you help me?”
“Help you? Trina, this is what you said you wanted. You wanted to take Jonah’s place, right? Killing Ron was just a technicality. You’re made at this point, and that means that we’ll always have your back.”
“But what about Ron?” she screamed into the phone.
“Ron knew the rules to the life we live. He chose to kill Reko, and for that he had to pay the price. In RG, it’s always an eye for an eye, and this is why it is inevitable that the person who killed Jonah will be brought to account for their transgressions.”
“Omari, do you understand how crazy this sounds?”
“Yeah,” he said laughing into the phone, “I was a little shook up when I first was initiated, but Franco needs to know that you are willing to do anything for him at any time without hesitation in order for him to fully trust you. This was Jonah’s life. He had to do a lot to maintain the lifestyle you became so accustomed to.”
“I didn’t know,” she said feeling like she didn’t even know who he really was anymore, “He kept all this from me.”
“It wasn’t Jonah’s fault. We don’t talk about this. Whether people see us as various business owners or just corner boys, our lips remained sealed. We are a network, and now with you by my side as the first lady, we have the opportunity to expand nationwide forreal forreal. Strengthening this family is our main priority, so after this conversation, we can never talk about this again, okay?”
“Can I ask you one last thing?”
“Yeah.”
“What happened last night? I don’t remember anything after you know what. I woke up in this room, and now my head is killing me.”
“After we left, Franco wanted to celebrate, but he knew that you would still be freaked out and wouldn’t enjoy yourself, so he gave you a tranquilizer, but it didn’t really put you out at first. You were just on like shit, but then the wine Franco kept pouring down your throat probably didn’t help. I don’t think you’re supposed to mix those.”
“But how did I get here?”
“It was getting late, so after the food and other festivities, I told Franco that I was going to take you back to my room just to make sure you were cool and didn’t die or anything, but he insisted on getting you a suite there.”