by King, Deja
“Fuck is y’all just looking at me for? I need to see my husband!”Semaj yelled. One of the nurses recognized her and came from behind the desk. “I understand that but let me take a look at you first to make sure you are okay and get you a change of clothes.” The nurse wanted to examine her because all of the blood on her, but actually all of the blood was Vega’s.
She attempted to grab Semaj’s arm but she swatted her hand away and stepped back. “I’m straight and I don’t need to change into shit. I need to see my gotdamn, husband!” She said insistently, so thunderous that her voice echoed through the hospital.
All of a sudden, she felt someone grab her arm and pulled her backward to the waiting area seats as she continued to demand answers. They hadn’t told her anything at the previous hospital and the unknown was killing her.
“Calm down, Semaj,” Bonjo said sympathetically as he kneeled down in front of her. “I’ve spoken with a nurse and Vega is on his way out of surgery. He was shot in the arm. That’s all I know of his condition right now.”
“Where’s LuLu?” Semaj asked concernedly.
“Of course she had an on a vest, but a bullet managed to graze her in the neck. She’ll pull through though,” he explained. “But check, everyone is headed down to the meeting room in the basement. After you get the information you need about your husband come down ASAP.”
Just then, a doctor emerged from behind the double doors and Semaj stood up in angst. “Is he okay?” she asked. “Can I see him?”
“He is in stable condition, but the bullet completely severed a main artery in his arm. We were able to remove that bullet but the lost of blood was substantial. Just to be on the safe side we are going to monitor him to make sure there is no hemorrhaging from the artery that we’ve repaired.”
Semaj didn’t hear anything past the part where the doctor informed her that Vega was stable. “Can I see him?”
”Yes, he is still sleeping from the pain medication that we injected in him, but he should come to in an hour or so.” The doctor said and led Semaj to Vega’s room.
As soon as Semaj saw Vega lying in the hospital bed tears built up in the back of her eyelids but she didn’t allow a tear to fall. She couldn’t, she had to be strong. She pulled a chair up next to his bedside, grabbed his hand, and rested her head next to his head as she waited for him to wake up.
Quasim sat behind the tint of the Mercedes-Benz as he watched man after man emerge from the Hummer trucks. Some stood outside to guard the outdoors while the other half disappeared into the building right behind Semaj. Fuck going on? Quasim thought as he continued to watch the strange activities. He had been in the states for three days and was watching the comings and goings of the private hospital in hopes of coming up with a good plan. He knew that Gio often called meetings in the basement of his establishment, and Quasim’s constant surveillance had finally paid off. Fuck I’ma get by all these mu’fuckas though? He wondered.
Just as his frustrations consumed him, a young woman with a nurse’s smock bypassed his car while texting on her cell phone.
“Ay, ma!” Quasim yelled as he hopped out of the Benz and tried to get the young lady’s attention.
The woman didn’t seem any older than twenty-years- old and from the nametag on her uniform he knew she was a nurse aide. She was fairly pale but project chick thick, and had small wet and wavy locks on her hair that was micro braids. She stopped texting and looked up at Quasim. She immediately recognized the costly vehicle he was driving and instantly knew he was street prestige. She knew he was associated with money, and thought, today must be my lucky day because I’ve been looking for a baller. Think I found him, she smiled as she ogled him from head to toe. She cocked her wide hip to the side and seductively licked her full lips, obviously vying for his attention. “You talking to me?” she asked as she stared at him with a sexy smile.
“Yeah, ma. I was trying to see if you wanna make some money,” Quasim said as he reached into his pocket.
The girl’s eye arched as she followed Quasim’s hand. Quasim pulled out a roll of money, and the young chick’s eye grew as large as golf balls. She hadn’t seen that much money in five checks. It had to be several grand perfectly wrapped up. “What I gotta do to make it?” she asked, still smiling.
“I need you to deliver this note and make sure that the granddaughter of Mr. Gio Milano gets it. Many may know her as Semaj Milano. Can you make sure that she gets the message?”
“I know exactly who you are talking about. She the only chick that comes in here always rocking the red bottom stilettos and draped in crazy diamonds. I’ma make sure that she gets it personally!” Her eyes stayed glued to the big-faced bills that were in his hand. Quasim handed her the knot of money with the note and anxiously watched her go on about her way.
Semaj had spoke healing into Vega’s life until finally she drifted off to sleep, but when she felt Vega squeeze her hand an hour later, she woke up instantly. She was all smiles. His blurred vision became slightly clearer as he searched the room, but he couldn’t recognize where he was through his unclear sight. The last thing he remembered was Semaj hovering over him crying and a hot internal sting.
After a few moments clarity returned to his eyesight and when it did, he saw Semaj’s beautiful face. This time there were no tears and Semaj’s beam was refreshing. Like a hot bowl of Campbell’s soup on a brisk January night, she was what he needed.
He weakly cleared his sore throat as he attempted to speak. “I’m sorry about what happened, bay,” he said, guilt weighing down on his heart.
“There is nothing for you to be sorry about. The Jamaicans did this and they will pay in the worst way. First they shoot you and then they come to the hospital ridiculously deep and try to assassinate all of us. They really tried to kill me. They wanted us all dead, Vega! I can’t believe them bastards were able to get that close to us again.” Tears started to form in her eyes. “Twice in one night. Fuck type shit?” she continued to shake her head from side to side as the tears rolled down her cheeks.
“What?” he asked in confusion. But before Semaj could respond, Gio emerged from the shadows of the darkened room and walked over towards them in an expensive silk button-up and Armani slacks, his hands tucked inside, and said, “I need you to excuse us for a second, Semaj. This conversation is amongst men only. One of my men have clothes for you right outside the door. After you get cleaned up head down to the basement,” Gio said in a low whisper, but his tone was filled with enough authority Semaj conceded his request.
“You’ve disrespected me by flying out to speak with my brother. I can’t understand your reasoning, but I will deal with that after we discuss my first issue. My concern here is this. A man from your region ends up in a club with my family and now he is no longer here. Either you were aware of this setup or you were oblivious to the fact. One way or another, this guy had inside connections and I’m positive my people are in the clear,” he said surely. “Can’t say the same for your men though, Vega. Do you vouch for your men?” Gio asked, not even giving him the respect of facing him. Gio pulled at his long pointed nose and then looked at his costly timepiece. Basically, Vega had seconds to respond.
“Hell nah, I don’t vouch for no man but myself,” he answered quickly.
“You have forty-eight hours to wipe out every man on your squad that was in attendance the night of the party. If this job is unfulfilled there will be consequences,” Gio said threateningly. “I don’t believe in coincidences. I know someone connected to your low level organization played a role in what happened that night.”
“But there was plenty niggas—”
Gio raised his hand to stop him from talking. “There is nothing that needs to be discussed. You carry out the job or else you pay with your life.” Gio ordered coldly and turned his back to walk out of the room.
Despite the pain in Vega’s arm, he searched his body until he found his bandaged shoulder. He grimaced in pain as his hands continued to probe his body
and then aggressively he snatched the IV from his arm. Fuck is going on? Fuck went wrong? I gotta get out of here so I can find out what the fuck is up. I know these niggas didn’t do no dumb ass shit, he thought as paranoia filled him. All sorts of things raced throughout his mind. How he find out that I was on
the trip. Do he know I had something to do with the shooting? Nah, if he knew anything I would’ve been circled in chalk, fuck conversation. What Semaj mean by two shootings? I know my niggas didn’t pull no dumb ass double shooting. They got the work, fuck else they had to do? Fuck is going on? Shit ain’t adding up. The setup at the nightclub was botched and now this shit. Don’t know why I thought that sloppy ass nigga could pull this shit off or any of them messy ass niggas for that matter, he thought with regret. I’ma murder all them niggas just for being stupid.
The setup backfired on him and his situation consequently turned from bad to some shit out of a gangster movie. The real Jamaicans that had beef with the Dominicans had been cooked amidst his meal, but their simmer had caused Vega’s shit to burn. They had definitely blown up his spot and he just hoped that fingers wouldn’t be pointed at him when the time came. It would’ve been so perfect and successful had not them fucking dreads decided to choose today, he shook his head in pure disbelief.
Semaj took a deep breath as she exited the room and let out a long sigh. Why couldn’t Poppa speak in front of me, Semaj thought as she made her way down the sterile, narrowed hallway. She was still in a state of shock and confusion plagued her as she thought of how everything had gone down. As Semaj attempted to board the elevator with three bodyguards on her heels, a young nurse’s aide stopped her. She turned around noticing the familiar face of one of the hospital CNAs; the Milano family henchmen stopped the girl’s approach, but Semaj stepped in front of them and assured that the hospital employee was cool.
“Semaj, I have an urgent message from one of the front desk receptionist,” she told a white lie as if she already knew that she was giving Semaj the piece of paper for her eyes only. “She said it’s a note to express her gratitude towards you for what your family has
done for her as far as her promotion. She’d love for you to read it once you’re calm and relaxed because she said it is from the heart and she wants you to feel it.”
“Thank you and I’ll make sure to read it later,” Semaj promised as she placed the note in her pants pocket. She quickly headed downstairs to the basement to discuss a sure way to put the Jamaicans out of commission once and for all.
Chapter 14
The conference room was in complete silence. Every Milano family member in the room had rage etched across their faces; the rest of the occupants included all of the head of security and they all were afraid to breath, much less speak. It was the first time since the bombing of the family car that they held a meeting with so much tension in the room, and everyone seemed to be consumed by the same homicidal thoughts. Gio stood up from the head of the rectangular table and placed both of his hands on the marble surface as he looked around.
“Family, it has been a long time since we have warred with the enemy in a street gunfight and I’m highly upset at the fact that I, me, Gio Milano was actually shot at today,” he said honestly. “We have yet suffered another great loss due to war. Arturo has been with this family for over twenty-five years and like a man who’d died in the service, Arturo has lost his life serving our family. But what I’m unable to understand is how Arturo ended up dead and Vega has only suffered a gunshot wound to the shoulder and Semaj escaped the first attempt against our family unscathed but—”
“Uncle Gio I know you are not saying that Semaj had something to do with this?” Marcela’s brow arched in question. She knew Semaj well enough and knew for a fact that she’d never backdoor the family. Never.
“No. What I’m saying Marcela is this doesn’t make any sense to me that at the airstrip the Jamaicans just robbed Semaj and shot
Vega. When in fact, they had the perfect opportunity to kill them both. But they didn’t kill her or Vega, but made sure to kill Arturo and a few others.” He paused, looking around the table, and then continued, “Then on top of everything at the hospital the gunmen were relentless with shooting down Semaj and determined to take her life.
“I picture myself in every situation and it is very hard for me to write this one off as related. I think this was two separate incidents.” He was a very clever man and even the most skillful person couldn’t get one off on Gio Milano.
“We’re definitely reading from the same book, Uncle Gio,” Sosa said undoubtedly. “I was thinking the same shit. Ox ain’t gon’ send no niggas down here to half do some job, especially when his intentions were to erase everything near us. He would have contracted a hit no other way,” she scoffed as she clapped her hands together as if she was a black ghetto girl from the projects. “We’ve been warring with this muthafucka for fucking years and his people has never caught us easily slipping like that and let it ride without taking lives.
“Anytime Ox has brought war to our home front he deaded everything that he could as we have done the same to him. Who wouldn’t? It only makes perfect sense when you got the enemy trapped in a corner you kill ‘em all. There’s no rules to this shit. We know there are no parameters. Ain’t no way his people would’ve just robbed us and let Semaj live like the robbery was a warning for what was next to come. Fuck outta here.” Sosa waved her hand dismissively and leaned back in leather chair, pissed.
“I bet my money on it that that bitch ass husband of Semaj’s had a hand in this. I wouldn’t be surprised if he working for the dreads. Knew I should’ve been whacked his grimy ass,” fumed LuLu. She had never been hit and the bullet-riddled chest vest infuriated her. “I bled today and LuLu don’t ever fucking bleed. I don’t shed blood for nothing or no one unless I’m on my fucking menstrual.” LuLu was very displeased and they all could see it from the dent in her throbbing temple. It was an angry feature that always formed on the side of her head when she was vexed.
“I think everyone just needs to chill and think strategically. Yes, I’m sorry we lost Arturo, but people die every day. This ain’t the first time and damn sure won’t be the last time we lose someone close to our family. I just hope that none of us seated around this table become one who hearts stop beating anytime soon,” Emilia said sternly. “We done lost too many loved ones and we can’t afford a huge loss like that ever again, especially from them clowns from Kingston. They’re very sloppy, but thanks to their unskilled actions, we survived through the melee. I agree with everything everyone is saying, but being mad ain’t going to help anything. If we put our heads together and throw out the BS we can figure out what just happened.” Emilia didn’t care about the puzzle board pieces. She just wanted to put it together correctly, accurately and swiftly.
Just then, Semaj walked into the room as all eyes shot to her.
LuLu smacked her lips, letting it be known she wasn’t feeling Semaj’s presence. It was obvious she was still upset with her from the argument they’d had at the nightclub. As Semaj came closer and headed to her seat, LuLu stared her in the eyes with a screwed-face, and said harshly, “Your husband is dead. I’m going to personally handle him myself!” LuLu pulled out her 9mm and slammed it on the table as an indication that she wasn’t bullshitting.
Semaj returned the cold stare, not backing down whatsoever, but remained silent as they matched each other’s loathing glare. The way LuLu drew her pistol caused Semaj’s reflexes to become responsive and she reached in the small of her back and rested the .380 handgun on her lap. Her nose flared with rebuttal. You ain’t the only one that can show a piece. You might be crazy but these bullets shoot the same, my dude, Semaj thought, really knowing they both understood they were family and it would never escalate beyond harsh words and lashed out thoughts.
Gio cleared his throat and picked up where their discussion and opinions left off. Semaj focused her attention on him and
listened to what was bei
ng said in the meeting.
“I’ve taken in everything you girls are assuming that has happened today and your conclusions are something that I can agree with. There is no way that Ox would send his men up here to rob us. There is no motive with that. Rob us, shoot us and then turn around and get into a gun battle with us does not seem sensible. They could have killed Semaj and got away with it. It is not only very risky, but it is pure stupidity to actually allow Semaj to live when they had the perfect opportunity to kill her. There’s no denying that Vega is involved.” Gio looked at Semaj hard, his thoughts evident. “He’s still alive.”
“What? Vega involved? G-Poppa the Jamaicans could have easily set this up like this, knowing that you all would show up at the hospital,” Semaj said, her eyes pleading. “That would be the perfect arrangement to hit us all at once don’t you think?” Sarcasm laced her voice.
“Semaj! This isn’t a ghetto story! This is the mob! One would never do such an act of work just to get us all together. Knowing by that time we would have recruited more soldiers. In this business you’d never get a heads up. Are you really sure that what you saw was the Jamaicans, Semaj?” Gio asked. “One hundred percent positive?”
“G-Poppa, I’m a thousand percent sure. I’ve went over every single detail that happened and left nothing out. It has to be them and Ox must just be making dumb moves now,” Semaj said with certainty.
Gio knew when his granddaughter was serious, and there was no convincing her; like her mother she spoke with assurance and allowed nothing or no one to change her mind. Once she had her mind made up nobody could change it.
“There is no way that you all can point Vega to this. What would be his purpose? I can’t believe y’all even doubting my husband,” Semaj gasped in disbelief as she tried to figure things out in her head. Vega would never do this. He loves me and my family.