False

by U. E. Wynn

  “You should have gone with my first offer,” said Brandon as he popped off a single shot to Maliks’ leg. He knew he could have just as easily killed him, but for now he just wanted to keep him down.

  “You’re weak. You’ve always been weak,” Malik said unphased by the gun that Brandon was aiming at him. “You always wanted to be like me. You wanted my life. You wanted my girl. You envied the respect that people gave me. I guess you think that by killing me, you’ll be able to take control.” Malik laughed. “You will never fill my shoes bother, no matter how hard you try.”

  “You really think people respect you, huh? I bet you think those muthafuckas over there respect you too.”

  Malik spat at Brandon’s feet. “If you’re expecting me to beg for my life, then you might as well stop wasting time and pull that trigger.”

  “You’re still trying to put on for these simple minded niggas?” Brandon asked and looked at Malik’s men, who were all on the floor with their hands behind their heads. “You think they’ll give a damn about you once you’re gone? I guarantee that every one of those bitches would jump at the chance to drop a dime on you just to save their own asses.”

  Malik shook his head as if he felt sorry for Brandon. “Loyalty. They’re loyal to me and I’m loyal to them. That’s how respect is developed. Loyalty is a word that you will never know the meaning of.”

  Brandon did an imitation of Eddie Murphy’s infamous laugh and said. “I thought he was going to say something worth listening to, but he sitting here with a gun pointed at his head talking about shit that makes no sense.” He laughed again and became serious. “Are those your last words?”

  “I’ll see you in hell.”

  “Yeah? Well, you’ll be waiting a long while. No worries though. I’ll let Ma know that you won’t be home for dinner.”

  Brandon squeezed on the trigger and shot Malik in the chest. He watched as his eyes bulged as he fell over on his side, wheezing and grabbing at his chest.

  “That’s the look I wanted to see.” Brandon stood over his dying brother and smiled evilly. The look of defeat on Malik’s face was priceless. “Sleep tight, bro.” He pulled the trigger once more sending a bullet between Maliks’ eyes. He exhaled with satisfaction and walked away.

  “As for the rest of you niggas, you have two choices…die or work for me.” He cocked his gun and aimed it at the first guy. “Choose.”

  Each man knew that Brandon wasn’t fronting about killing them, so they all agreed to work for him.

  “Good. Now get the fuck out of here and remember, I know where you stay. I know where your families stay. If a word about tonight gets put to anyone, you and yours will join that muthafucker,” he said pointing his gun towards Malik lying in a pool of blood.

  “Whoa Brandon, what are you doing?” Brock asked. “You do realize that you just let four eye witnesses go free?”

  “They won’t talk,” he said confidently.

  “So, what...we just risked everything to come here and you just decide to pull some shit like this? What? We’re supposed to be drug dealers now?” asked Brock.

  Brandon pressed up against Brock until he backed him into a wall. “You got something that you need to get off your chest? You’re questioning my authority?”

  “I think I said exactly what I needed to,” responded Brock.

  “Maybe it’s you who I need to be paying close attention to,” Brandon retorted.

  There was a brief stare down between Brock and Brandon. They looked like they were ready to go to war with one another and add two more bodies to the ones they left in the warehouse.

  “Uh, guys?” Zane intervened. “We really don’t have time for this. We have about ten minutes to get the hell out of dodge before the bombs I set go Ka-boom.”

  Never breaking eye contact with Brock, Brandon ordered his men to case the warehouse and take any money and drugs they found. Vladimir had already retrieved the USB card that held the footage they were looking for.

  With only five minutes left, all of the men exited the warehouse and hopped in Brandon’s SUV that was still parked out front. They made their way down the alleyway and Vladimir and Brock exited the car and got back inside of the car they’d left at the entrance. Brandon, Zane, Devon and O’Malley turned one way and Brock and Vladimir went the opposite way.

  When Brandon returned to the precinct, he briefed the Captain about the mission and reassured him that all was well again. There was no big announcement about the bust. There were no parties thrown. There was no word at all about what happened that night and that was the way Brandon and the Captain, wanted to keep it.

  EPILOGUE

  A few weeks later...

  The word on the street was that Malik went into hiding because he had gotten in bad with some Russians and they were after him. Some people were saying that he got out of the game and moved himself and his girl to another country. Despite the rumors, only a few really knew the truth of his disappearance and neither of them intended on talking about it.

  Gloria had grown terribly concerned about her son with every day that passed by. She had yet to hear from him and had been calling his phone nonstop only to get his voicemail. She began to question Brandon about his brother’s whereabouts, but that was a dead end, because Brandon claimed to not know anything. He tried to reassure her that Malik was fine and that he would keep an ear to the streets and let her know if he heard anything. That helped to keep her from calling him so much and asking about Malik for a while.

  Meanwhile, Brandon spent the majority of his days combing the streets of the neighborhood and snatching up anyone who knew of or worked for his brother. He made sure that they knew what time it was and who was now in charge. Anyone who refused to adhere to the new way of things was eliminated immediately.

  The rules were simple. You sell your shit and pay him a hefty fee to keep your freedom. It was that simple.

  ~~~~

  One afternoon while Gloria was cleaning the house, she got a phone call. The phone rung several times before Gloria walked over to the wall where the phone was mounted and picked up the receiver.

  “Hello?”

  “Uh...um hello, Ma’am?”

  “Yes.”

  “You don’t know me, but I know your son. He gave me strict instructions on what to do if I didn't hear from him. What I have to say to you won’t be the easiest thing, but I got instructions.”

  Gloria’s heart started to beat so fast that she thought it was going to come right out of her chest. She felt dizzy and nauseous at the same time. Her gut feeling knew exactly what was about to happen, but she didn’t want to believe it. She gathered herself and calmly told the anonymous person to continue.

  “I’m sorry to be the one to tell you this, but those rumors that your son ran off aren’t true. Ma’am the truth is, he’s dead. His pregnant girlfriend is dead too, and I was there to witness it all.”

  Gloria grabbed at her chest and felt weak in the knees. “Oh my God. Are you sure?” she asked.

  “Yes, Ma’am. I’m sure.”

  Gloria held her tears in check. She needed to be strong for her son to get some answers. “Do you know who did this?”

  “Unfortunately, I do.”

  There was a short pause on the line, but it seemed like that silence was never ending.

  Nervous to hear the anonymous person’s reply, Gloria swallowed the lump in her throat and asked the dreaded question. “Who was it?”

  “His brother.”

  Gloria dropped down in the chair closest to her when her legs gave out on her. No, no, no, no. “Are you sure?”

  “Yes Ma’am, I am. He mentioned it while they were arguing.”

  “Just to be sure, what was his name?” I need to hear him say it. I need to be sure.

  “Brandon. He’s a cop.”

  That name echoed in Gloria’s ear over and over. She was hoping that this person was speaking of someone that Malik may have called his brother figuratively. That hope was shatter
ed when the person mentioned that Brandon was a cop.

  “I’m sorry Ma’am. I truly am.”

  Gloria dropped the phone. Her arms suddenly felt like jelly and she could feel her chest tightening. She couldn’t believe that her son was gone. Her only grandbaby and possible daughter-in-law was gone as well. They were all taken away from her by the hands of her own flesh and blood.

  She thought about Malik and the plans he had made to start a new life with Terry and the baby. They were going to be his reason for finally leaving that lifestyle. She would never get to witness the union between Malik and Terry and she would never get a chance to meet their unborn child.

  Gloria’s heart broke into a million pieces and she sat there in the chair rocking back and forth holding herself as she cried uncontrollably.

  “Not my baby. I just don’t understand it, Lord. Please help me to understand this,” she pleaded.

  Gloria cried and prayed and prayed and cried. She eventually mustered up enough strength to get herself up and go to her room. She cried herself to sleep that night the same way she did when she’d lost her husband all those years ago.

  Hearing the crying on the other end, he ended the call. He thought he’d feel better letting her know the truth, but he didn't. He still felt guilty about his involvement. Killing thugs, murderers and dealers was one thing. But killing a woman was fucked up. Killing a pregnant woman was horrible and unforgiving. Although he hadn't been the one to pull the trigger, he still felt responsible because he hadn't tried to stop it.

  The guilt, disappointment and shame had caused him many nights with no sleep and a few nightmares. He had put in his resignation days ago and now stood on the deck of his new house in Jamaica. He glanced over to his wife and son and knew he had made the right decision.

  Nodding his head in relief, Devon walked over to join his family.

  ~~~~

  It was a quiet Friday evening and Brandon was doing his usual patrol of the neighborhood looking for anyone he may have missed during his previous shake down. Once he realized that nothing was shaking, he started to call it a night and make his way back to the other side of town. Just as he turned his car around, his cell phone began to ring. He glanced at the screen and saw the word Mom and pressed the Bluetooth mode on his dashboard screen.

  “Hey, Ma. Are you ok?”

  “Yes. I’m fine. I wanted to see if you would be able to come and have dinner with me tonight.”

  Brandon smiled. Now that Malik was gone, she had been giving him more and more attention. “As a matter of fact, I sure can. I’m not too far away.”

  “Okay, good. The food is just about done.”

  “Alright. I’ll see you soon.”

  Brandon ended the call and made a U-turn to head to his mother’s house. Gloria was pulling a baked ham from the oven when Brandon walked in. Bobby Womack’s, Harry Hippie, crooned softly from the small radio that sat on top of the countertop next to the stove.

  “Ma? Are you expecting more company?” Brandon asked as he walked over and kissed her cheek.

  Gloria tried not to cringe and back away from him. It was hard containing her emotions, but she kept it together and made sure not to give away any indications that she was aware of the truth regarding Malik.

  “No, it’s just you and me tonight son.” That word left a bitter taste on her tongue. Yes, by birth Brandon was her son, but after learning about Malik’s death, all the loving feelings that she felt for him as a mother died as well.

  “I see you’re trying to fatten me up,” Brandon joked. “How do you expect me to chase down and catch criminals out there when you’re feeding me like this?” He laughed and pointed at the spread of candied yams, collard greens, baked turkey wings, macaroni and cheese, cornbread muffins, mashed potatoes with gravy, upside down cake, and a pitcher of sweetened tea.

  “There’s enough food in here to feed a football team. What made you cook all of this?”

  “Well, I was in here cleaning trying not to worry about your brother. After I did that, I got hungry and started cooking.” She looked around at all the food. “I guess I went a little overboard.”

  Brandon’s eyebrows raised as he said, “You think?”

  Gloria waved him off and told him to go wash his hands while she prepared his plate. When Brandon came back to the table, he sat down ready to eat. Gloria asked him to say a prayer and afterwards they began eating their meal.

  Gloria picked at her food for a bit while Brandon was devouring his like a starving man. She looked at him and felt nothing but disgust. She had been dreading this moment, but she knew it was necessary.

  “So Brandon, have you gotten any new leads about where your brother could be?” She looked over at him and watched as he casually took a sip of his drink and wiped his mouth with a napkin.

  “Ma, I already told you that I haven’t heard anything since the last time you asked. If Malik wanted to be found, he would make it so that he could be. I’m sure he and Terry are off on some Island somewhere without a care in the world. You know how he’s been talking about leaving here and starting a new life anyway.” He took a bite of the ham. “Maybe he started sooner than later.”

  Without blinking an eye, he lied right to her face. Gloria couldn’t believe how nonchalant he was about it. Cain killed Abel, suddenly ran through her mind. She began burning with rage on the inside, but managed to remain calm.

  She looked down at her wrist watch and right on cue Brandon stopped eating and began coughing. She watched as he reached for his drink and gulped it down, then poured himself another glass. He cleared his throat and tried to take another bite of his food, but he spit it right back out when he began coughing again.

  “What’s the matter son?” The lack of emotion in her tone was instantly detected by Brandon. He had a look of confusion on his face as he made eye contact with her. Gloria folded her arms on top of the table and frowned back at him.

  “What... (cough, cough). What did you do to me?”

  Gloria leaned back in her seat and pulled a pack of cigarettes from the pocket of the sweater she was wearing. She removed one of the cancer sticks from the pack and placed it on the tip of her lips. She lit the cigarette, took a long drag and blew the smoke in Brandon’s face making him cough even more.

  Brandon’s eyes bulged as he tried to catch his breath, but he was attacked with more coughs. His eyes began to water as he pulled at the neck of his shirt as if it would help to relieve his discomfort. He coughed and heaved and heaved and coughed until his nose began to bleed. He was struggling with every breath. He tried to open his mouth to say something to her, but nothing came out. Brandon continued to choke and gag on his own blood as he felt his insides burning and cramping.

  “Painful isn’t it? Don’t worry, it will be over soon.” She leaned in closer to him staring him in his face. “I know you killed my boy. I know you killed Terry and my only grandbaby. Do you remember the story of Cain and Abel?”

  Brandon continued coughing and gagging. He had become lightheaded and was starting to fade in and out. He reached for Gloria and she took his hand in hers. A weak smile touched his lips at that small touch of comfort.

  “Don’t fight it,” she whispered as tears whelmed up in her eyes and spilled down her cheeks while she watched her youngest son dying. “You know I’ve prayed many nights that you would outgrow that feeling of jealousy that you had towards your brother.” She shook her head as if she was remembering those nights. “I didn’t want this to happen. I was hoping that you would be honest with me. I was hoping that you would be honest and tell me what you did. I tried to give you another chance at redemption and you blew it every time.”

  Brandon’s gagging and coughing continued.

  “You know, in the story about Cain and Abel, Cain killed his brother because of jealousy as well. God gave him a chance to confess what he’d done and he too lied. God’s punishment for Cain was to make him live the rest of his days never forgetting the horrible thing he’d done.
” Gloria then released Brandon’s grip from her hand. “I am not God, and I cannot ever forgive you for what you’ve done. Malik is no longer here, and I will never get to see him again. You took his life and now I’m taking yours.”

  Brandon’s head lolled back as he continued trying to fight the inevitable. He gasped, coughed and choked until he finally took his last breath and succumbed to his fate. Gloria puffed on her cigarette as she stared at Brandon’s lifeless body for a while, then she reached over to close his glazed over eyes. She then got up from the table and walked over to the kitchen phone. She dialed a few numbers and brought the receiver up to her ear.

  “It’s done,” was all she said before hanging up.

  Minutes later there was a knock at her door and several men dressed in dark colored clothing entered the house. They came into the kitchen and began spreading plastic out on the floor. They removed Brandon’s body from the chair and placed him on top of the plastic. Two men wrapped Brandon’s body in the plastic material while the other cleaned the blood from the table and the surrounding areas of the floor. No one spoke a word to Gloria. They just picked up the body and exited the house just as quickly as they’d arrived.

  Gloria started to clear the table of the plates of food and the cups of tea. When she began wrapping up the left over food, she could no longer suppress her tears. Gloria cried so hard that she became too weak to hold up her own weight. She collapsed on the counter top and sobbed loudly.

  Malik had been her rock throughout the years after the passing of her husband. He was the one who stepped up to help take care of them when she struggled to do so. She wasn’t happy about the life he led, but she understood why he felt he had to go that route. If it weren’t for Malik, they would have been homeless. Brandon would have never gone to college and she would have never been able to retire as early as she did.

  Things would never be the same again. Not only was she heartbroken, but she was now alone. Although she was overwhelmed with sadness for Malik, she knew that one day soon she would hear another knock at her door. There would be two police officers standing before her to regretfully inform her that her son was dead. Despite everything else, Gloria dreaded that day the most because she didn’t know if she would be able to hide her true feelings. The thought of Brandon’s name left a vile taste in her mouth. However, the fact still remained that those officers were going to come and they were going to offer their condolences, but they would never know that Brandon’s death was by her own hands.