The Streets Bleed Murder Box Set

by Jerry Jackson

  Terry buckled her daughter into the back seat and climbed into her Infinity truck, Terry saw the living room door come open as she backed out of their driveway. Zay was stepping out, waving his hands for her to stop. But Terry put her truck in drive and pulled off. Kash was tripping.

  Chapter 22

  “Stand by for regional inspection. Stand by for inspection. Make sure all beds are made, all lockers and walls correct, shave, boots shined. Have a nice day gentlemen.”

  Gangsta heard the intercom say. Then he looked at the time and saw that it was 1:15pm on Wednesday. And they calling for inspection? He wasn’t feeling getting out of his comfort zone, but knew it was best to comply rather than buck. So he got up from his laying position and started to make up his bed. Gangsta couldn’t afford any type or trouble right now. He was about to receive his first visit and a chance to see and hold his son, so Gangsta complied with all officers at all times, giving them no reason to book him.

  He was more than ready to see his son, see him woke, see his eyes, see his smile. He was ready to touch his little man. He needed to touch him. It’d been a month since Jr woke up and he was doing excellent. He was still growing, still learning. Gangsta took off his tennis shoes and put on his black boots with the shining tips. He was already state dressed coming from a morning inspection. He quickly presented himself and his room the way the prison required.

  Once he got straight, Gangsta stood at the door. He looked out at Ms. Pitts in the control booth with a trainee. Flip was standing in his door messing with her on some lovey dovey shit. The trainee couldn’t figure out what was going on since she was fairly new.

  “You ready for inspection over there, old man?” Gangsta asked Flip through the doors.

  “Yeah, I’m afraid so,” Flip replied. The dorm officer on the floor had everything under control, everything was running smoothly. Gangsta double checked his own cell and saw that he was straight. If you looked at Gangsta, had a conversation with him, or watched him from afar, you couldn’t tell he had the death penalty. He still carried himself in a normal manner. He still smiled, laughed, and at all times he sought to learn something he didn’t know about life.

  He did not let the judge break him. He did not tremble under the pressure. Gangsta just accepted his fate like a champ and, strange thing, but he wasn’t mad at how things ended up. After about ten minutes of standing around in the cell, the inspection team came around. The warden’s name was Mr. Jones. He was a hard nose black man in his early forties. He was real strict, very mean, and too direct. Today Mr. Jones had visitors and on days when the commissioner showed up, Mr. Jones made sure his entire prison was spotless and that everybody was on point. When and if you weren’t, then he punished you with time in the hole and all sorts of restrictions.

  Mr. Jones was the type of man most people hated, other than his family. He was sharp about everything and never thought he was wrong, he was always right in his book. He and Gangsta had never had a run in. It had always been about respect with him and Gangsta. Gangsta seemed to always be on point with his shit and that was something Mr. Jones liked.

  The sergeant of the cert team and the prison captain led the inspection team through death row. They went first to make sure people were up and ready before the warden made his stop at the door. It was a big inspection because the whole cert team was there, along with three visitors and some trainees.

  Gangsta had to do a double take when he saw Mr. Jones’ new secretary. She wasn’t your average secretary for wardens, old, white, bad body. No this lady had the youth, the face, and the body. She had every nigga in the pod looking hard at her. Once she got close, Gangsta’s eyes got bigger. She wouldn’t look at him as she stood next to the warden when he stopped at Gangsta’s door.

  “Jackson, how you doing?” Mr. Jones asked.

  “Good, sir, and yourself?” Gangsta replied with his own question. With his heart pounding away in his chest, he was confused. But it was good seeing someone he knew. She still refused to look. Even when they walked off to the next cell, she didn’t cut her eyes and acknowledge him in any form. Gangsta kept watching her as they made it around the whole dorm. She was still super bad, even in a business skirt and pumps.

  Gangsta remembered sex with her, how beautiful her body was. “Asia,” he said to himself in a mumble as she walked out the door behind the warden. What is Asia doing? This is strange, Gangsta thought as he took off his boots. Damn, Shawty tough, he thought while sitting on his bunk. It was time to smoke. He needed to blow a stick of weed, but didn’t have any. Gangsta hit the wall to get Flip’s attention.

  “Yo.”

  “What’s going on, neph?” Flip yelled

  “I need me one, unc, a one and one.” Gangsta had started smoking cigarettes since being on death row.

  “I can hook that for you, neph.”

  “Cool,” Gangsta shot back. He picked up his writing pad and a pen to start a letter to Kash. He wanted to know if Kash had anything to do with Asia being down at Jackson State Prison, which just happened be the same prison he was in. He made the letter brief and ended it with his love and a favor asked. Gangsta sent the mail to his mother. She would get it to Kash.

  His mind couldn’t stay away from seeing Asia with the inspection team. This shit was like a movie or something. He had to laugh at it. The shit was confusing but funny. After Gangsta seal up the letter to Kash, he went to the door so that he could get his stick of weed and cigarettes. Flip would send it over on a line and he would send the food back to pay for it. That was what they did.

  Even though Flip looked out and always gave Gangsta weed and cigarettes, Gangsta still spent money with him. He would smoke, and then eat his lunch. So Gangsta began making some fire with two batteries and two razors. He had the bottom of his door stuffed so the smell wouldn’t escape. Gangsta smoked both to the head, not saving anything, not even a pinch. He laid back in his bunk, waiting on the trays to be delivered so he could put something other than junk food on his stomach.

  ***

  Nene and Erica listened to Terry explain what was going on with Kash, Zay, and Eric. She told them from front to back what had taken place up until now. Nene was totally shocked at how badly Kash was acting up. He wasn’t being the man Gangsta wanted him to be.

  “I thought Kash was pose to protect us.” Nene made the statement, speaking her thoughts out loud.

  “I know right,” Terry said. She had tears in her eyes, scared, hurt, and frustrated about the situation. Nene put her arm around Terry’s shoulder.

  “It’s gonna be okay. Erica call Kash. Tell him to get over here. It’s urgent,” Nene told her sister. Keshana and Junior were playing on the floor together. They had a brother and sister bond unlike anything else.

  “Ok,” Erica said, pulling out her phone. She wanted to see Kash anyway. She missed him, wanted to hear his voice, feel his touch, and more.

  Nene walked Terry over to her sofa, where they both took seats. Terry was big, almost ready to have that baby. She didn’t need to stress right now, and Nene knew it.

  “We’re about to get this fixed. I promise.”

  “He on the way,” Erica said. She now had a glow on her face, a slick smirk as well. Her sister noticed but said nothing about it as she continued to pat Terry’s back as she cried silent tears.

  “Ok,” said Nene. She couldn’t believe how Kash was acting. She knew him better than that. He shouldn’t come home fresh from prison acting all stupid and shit. Look at his friend and where he was at. Look at Junior Look at where he just came from. Nene couldn’t figure who would be stupid enough to wanna risk going back to prison or worst, be killed in the streets. Kash needed to slow down or one or two would soon happen. Either way, it was a sad day, a sad evening.

  Terry finally dried her tears and was able to talk normally. She held Junior while talking about how she just wanted everyone to get out the game. She talked about her kids and her future. Terry showed a side she rarely showed people. Nene and Erica bot
h felt her pains and understood her vision.

  It took Kash two hours to get there. He pulled up with two more dudes in his truck, but neither got out. Nene was standing on the porch when he walked up the walkway and the few stairs to the porch.

  “What’s up, sis?” Kash hugged her.

  “Mm huh, I’m mad at you,” Nene hugged him back and walked away, into the house. He followed and saw the kids, Erica, and Terry.

  “What’s up y’all? What’s going on? Let me guess, y’all mad at me too?” Kash asked through a smile. Him and his nephew gave each other dap, and then he bent down to kiss Keshana.

  “I am,” Terry pouted.

  Then Nene asked, “Kash, why is you messing with Zay and Eric? Why you stab that boy?”

  “And why did you trash that restaurant?” Terry added.

  Then Nene cut back in, “You supposed to be protecting us, the kids. You know we family, Kash. Eric is Gary’s first cousin. Don’t do them boys like that.

  “Look, check this out. That nigga Zay, he not right, Eric either…”

  “Kash,” Terry cut in, “what have they done to Gary? Nothing. What have they done…”

  “For Gangsta,” Kash cut her off. “Nothing. Nan one of them niggas sent bruh a dime in four months.”

  “How you know?” Terry raised her voice and rolled her eyes.

  “I asked them niggas.”

  “Well, Kash, for the sake of us, just let it go,” Nene stated.

  “Please,” added Terry as tears started to fall from her eyes again.

  “Man…”

  “Please, Kash, do this for me,” Nene begged.

  Kash looked away from all three girls. He shook his head side to side. He didn’t expect to come over for this. It was bad enough Zay and Eric had pussy niggas and lames asking for them to be spared. Now they got the family involved.

  “Nene, them niggas owe,” said Kash.

  “What do Zay owe you?” Terry asked.

  “He owe Gang…”

  “How much?”

  “Terry, I fucks with you, shawty, and I know Zay your baby…”

  “Kash, listen, she don’t need to keep stressing. It can hurt the baby. Okay, Zay and Eric, they not real as you and Gangsta are. So fuck it, just let us give you whatever it is they owe and that’s that,” Nene said.

  Kash shook his head again. Damn, he was thinking. “Nene, y’all putting me in a fucked up position.” He wanted badly to just walk out, but Nene was right, they were family.

  “Just do this one favor for me, remember you the one who said that whatever I want, I can have. Well I’m asking right now, face to face, leave them alone, Kash, please,” Nene spoke, looking directly at Kash, who looked at a pregnant Terry.

  He looked at the kids. He had so much love for these people. He just did not have love for a fuck nigga. Terry and Nene wanted him to do the unthinkable, and only for the love of Gangsta did he agree to leave them alone.

  “Under one condition,” Kash said.

  “What?” the girls both asked at the same time.

  “They both give bruh half a million, and I know they got it. If not, then I can’t leave them alone.”

  “Kash, don’t nobody have that type of money,” Terry shook her head at him.

  “Okay, okay, two hundred fifty, no exception.”

  “Fine,” Nene concluded the conversation. “I just want our family to be a family again, Kash, that’s all.”

  “And it is,” Kash replied. He hugged Nene, and then Terry, before walking out of the house with Erica, who had a big smile on her face. So much weight was lifted off Terry’s shoulders. When Kash left, she was feeling so much better. She hugged and thanked Nene.

  “Girl, thank you. That boy let us double team him,” Nene said, giving Terry a high five.

  They both smiled at each other, happy with the outcome. Nene decided to go out with the family since it’d been forever and a day since she’d been out to enjoy anything. It would be Junior's first time leaving the house, too, since he’d been home. They ended up at Ryan’s, the all-you-can eat place. Things were smooth as can be, but NeNe nor Terry knew they were being followed. Erica was so busy playing with Keshana that she didn’t pay attention either.

  Chapter 23

  Kash jumped in the smoked out truck and pulled off from the corner store. Meco passed him a blunt. The music was pumping Monsta Swole’s new mix tape Da Run Down. Kash had just noticed a text message in red, blinking across his phone screen. He opened the message, which was from Chavez. Kash read it fast because it automatically erased. He had an urgent flight out to Miami and the plane would leave at six.

  “Damn, I gotta dip out, fooly,” Kash said, putting the phone down. “I’m gone make one more stop then I’ma drop y’all niggas off.”

  “Say no mo.”

  “Everything Gucci, bruh?” Veedo asked.

  “Hell yeah, bruh, everything good,” Kash shot back. “I’m headed to Miami for a lil’ minute, that’s all.”

  “Okay, cool.”

  Kash pulled up to the house Veedo met him at before. Veedo noticed and then remembered the girl who worked at Augusta State Prison. Kash got out. He knocked on the heavy wooden door twice before someone opened it, and it was her, Mrs. Johnson, standing before him. Kash pulled her towards him. She melted in his embrace as they shared one of those I miss you kisses.

  “What’s up, baby?” she spoke. Her name was Tiffany Johnson and she was thirty-six and divorced, due to Kash, and so in love with him.

  “What’s going on?” Kash entered the crib.

  “Nothing much, just some spring cleaning on my off day. Here, I got that blood for you,” Tiffany said as she disappeared in the room and came back out with a table of blood. It had a strip with Gangsta’s name and GDC number on it. Kash laughed and took it.

  “How you pull this off? You good?” He quickly stuck the tube in his pocket and he kissed her again.

  “I guess he had a birthday or something because the lab had just taken his blood the night before they was waiting on them to be picked up. When I got to work yesterday, I saw it and stole it and erased the data out of the computer.”

  “So he never got to see you?” asked Kash.

  “No.”

  “You never got the phone to him?”

  “No, I told you, I’m not giving no one nothing if it’s not him. I got it. I will just try again Monday when I go back in,” Tiffany shot back to the man she had come to love.

  Kash had stayed on her since the day they met and with time, she finally fell for him. She destroyed her marriage to be with Kash, and so far so good. Even though she only got eight percent of his attention because ninety-two percent was elsewhere.

  He kissed her once more and left the crib. He climbed back into the whip and pulled off, blasting the radio. He reread the text just to make sure he was right about the time and date. Kash took Veedo back to the tire shop and took Meco back to Dill Ave. They both got out in the yard and dapped each other up.

  “Here,” Kash went to the back of the Yukon. As the back raised up where Meco’s clothes were, Kash said, “Grab that book bag too. That’s your loyalty fare.”

  Meco also took the bag Kash pointed out. It was a bit heavy. He said nothing, just took it and threw it over his shoulder.

  “Say no mo, foo. Hit me when you get back in town.” They dapped once again, and then Kash got the hell on. He only had a few hours before he had to be at the airport.

  Ebony and the kids were in the kitchen when Kash entered through the side door. Unique got excited when she saw her daddy.

  “Daddy,” she yelled and got Sheen from her chair. Charles Jr. wanted to act like his sister also and jumped over, hugging Kash’s leg as he held Unique in the air, kissing her lips.

  “Hey daddy’s pretty girl.” He put her down and then picked Charles Jr. up with one hand under his arms. “What’s up, big guy?”

  Then he put him down. He walked over to where Ebony was over the stove. She was frying ch
icken. “What’s up, woman?”

  “Hey, Charles, what’s going on?”

  “Hungry. Glad I showed up.”

  “Well I gotta drop some more chicken ‘cause we didn’t expect you. This is a surprise to see you two times back to back,” Ebony said in a joking manner, but was so serious.

  “You’ll start seeing me more often,” Kash added.

  “Yeah.”

  “I’m dead ass, I’ma be around so much you gon’ think I stay here.”

  “The kids will sure love to see that,” said Ebony. She would too, but she refused to tell him so.

  “For real, though. I’m coming around more. I just gotta tie up some loose ends. Then I can be more into my family,” Kash took a seat at the table. His daughter ran over and stood between his legs.

  Ebony turned to look at him. “You need to get out them streets. That’s a start.”

  “I’m not in the streets, the streets in me,” he replied, and that got him a mean eye roll from her, which made him smile. He kissed the top of his daughter’s head. He knew Ebony wanted nothing but the best for him, and that was cool. But at the same time, Ebony knew what she was dealing with when they first met. He understood she’d chosen her path for herself but he couldn’t let her create his journey because if so he’d end up being the police and that’s not good.

  Ebony only shook her head. Then she walked off, back to the stove, leaving him to play with his kids. Kash knew she was mad but he never cared about how nobody felt. He always did what pleased him and people had to deal with it, or not. He stayed over and ate dinner with them. He helped bathe the kids and put them in the bed.

  Kash read them a bedtime story while Ebony watched from the corner of the room, adoring the sight of him being a father to his kids. This was the side of him she loved. She always wanted to see him like this. Kash left around 8:30 because the airport was closer to her house. The Feds kept a tail on him the entire time and were able to get pictures of him and Chavez getting on a G4 flight.