by U. E. Wynn
“Get the fuck outta here! That shit ain’t true!” Koran said heatedly.
He wasn’t about to let anyone disrespect the memory of his father. He was only four years old when John Copeland was murdered, but from what he vaguely remembered, his father had no time to be in the streets. His job with the transit system took up most of his time.
“My pops wasn’t no fuckin drug dealer!”
Tony held up his hand. “Don’t think I’m trying to throw dirt on your pops name, but it’s true. Ask Jah. Your pops was like the Nicky Barnes of the South Bronx. The only difference is he stayed crazy low and he wasn’t a rat. But the Coco Twins pops... Damn, I forgot his name. He and your pops used to get money together. Your pops provided the work and the Coco Twins pops handled shit on the street.”
Koran closed his eyes and shook his head. “This shit is crazy. Why would they body their own pops?” he said, speaking more to himself.
“I don’t know, but it gives you an idea of what type of person Hector is. If he could body his own pops, you know he don’t give a fuck about nobody else.”
Koran nodded. “Yeah, you right. I’ll…”
He cut his words short when the door opened and Serenity walked in with Jamel and Dej’a at her sides. She wore a pair of tight apple bottom jeans, a white blouse with a pair of white Timberland boots on her feet. To her left Jamel was clad in a Phat Farm jean suit, a red tee-shirt with the superman emblem on the front, and a pair of red and white Air Jordands. To her right, Dej’a wore a pink Roc-A-Wear velour sweatsuit, and pink and white Air Force One’s. Her hair was cornrolled with pink and white beads at the end of the plaits.
“Where y’all headed, the club?”
“Ka-wan I fry?” Jamel asked, crossing his arms across his chest.
“Yeah, lil dude, you fly.”
Dej’a walked over to the bed and kissed him on the cheek while Serenity watched from the door with love swimming in her eyes. She wasn’t superstitious, but it seemed like an invisible force had drawn them together knowing everything would coincide. Never had she imagined she would love someone as much as she loved Koran. The relationship he shared with Dej’a only intensified her love.
“What you standing over there looking all goofy eyed for? Come give me a kiss,” Koran said making her blush.
Tony stood as Serenity approached the bed, his eyes on Dej’a. For some reason he couldn’t get the image of Latrice out of his mind every time he looked at her. “A yo Koran, Ima go check on Jah. I’ll swing back through before I leave.”
“Trice is up there now with Michelle and Mrs. Harris,” Serenity said, sitting in Tony’s spot. “Their next stop is here. Mrs. Harris brought you some cookies too, Koran. I told her they probably wouldn’t let you have them, but she wasn’t trying to hear it.”
“They gonna catch hell tryin to stop her. A yo Tone, make sure you come back so we can finish talking, and bring me something to smoke up in here tomorrow.”
“No!” Serenity frowned shaking her head. “You heard what the doctor said about your lung.”
Koran grinned sheepishly. “I’m saying, some haze might help ease my pain a little.”
“You smoke some haze right now you might not make it out the hospital. Crazy ass dude.” Tony laughed as he walked out.
“How you feeling, boo?” Serenity asked, taking hold of his hand.
On the other side of the bed Jamel tried his best to climb up until his foot slip off the rail and he crashed into one of the machines behind him. At once a loud piercing round filled the room. Jamel got up, his eyes wide, looked left, then right before he took off running around the bed to Serenity. “Po-lice Sin! Po-lice!” he yelled climbing into her lap.
Koran laughed so hard tears ran from his eyes as held his right side. A second later a nurse ran into his room looking around frantically.
Jamel glanced at her then buried his face in Serenity’s chest. “They get me Sin!”
“What happened in here?” the nurse asked over the noise as she walked around the bed to unplug the machine.
Jamel kept his face hidden.
“It’s nothing, Miss. My lil man made a mistake and bumped one of the machines.”
The nurse shot Jamel a frown, then left. Once she was gone Jamel watched the door for a second before he looked up at Koran grinning. “They not get me Ka-wan?”
“Nah, you a’ight with your bad ass. You better be good though or she gonna come back.”
Jamel looked back at the door. “I be good.”
“Back to what I asked, how are you feeling?” Serenity asked again while Jamel played with her earrings.
“I’m a’ight. Could use some loving, but I’m a’ight.” Koran smiled then turned serious. “Listen sexy, you ain’t gonna be feeling this, but I want you and Dej’a to go down south with my Moms for a while.”
“Why? And what about my sister?”
“Mrs. Harris will hold your sister down, so don’t sweat that.”
“Does it have anything to do with why you’re here?”
“You gonna make a good lawyer,” Koran said smiling. “And that’s exactly what I’m saying.”
“Why?”
“Cause it’s not safe and that’s all I’ma tell you. Now when you get back to the crib look in my closet and get some dough outta one of my shoe boxes. I’ll …”
“I ain’t going nowhere until you tell me what’s going on,” Serenity said stubbornly.
“Dammit, Sin! I wouldn’t be telling you to bounce if it wasn’t important. Right now I’m not in no shape to protect you. I can’t even protect my damn self. So stop being hard headed and bounce. When things…”
The door flew open and Michelle and Latrice stormed in followed by Tony, who wore a pained expression. Emma was right on their heels, carrying a platter of cookies.
“Koran what’s going on!” Michelle asked, marching up to the side of his bed. “What’s this about we have to leave?”
Koran looked at Tony, who shrugged his shoulders. Emma walked up behind Michelle and gave him a little shake of her head, which made him wonder how much she really knew.
“I don’t know what’s going on myself. I don’t wanna take any chances though.”
Michelle shook her head. “Jahad pulled this same mess years ago keeping me in the dark. You’re mixed up in that mess he’s in aren’t you?”
Fear gripped him. She couldn’t possibly know about the M.G’s. “What you talking about, Ma?”
“I’m not stupid!” she yelled as tears spilled from her large brown eyes. “I know what he’s into. He promised me he would keep you out of the streets. He promised!”
“Ma, I don’t know what you talking about” he lied, unable to meet her eyes.
Chapter Twenty
The first week after Karen came out of the coma the Heads and their lieutenants paid him a visit. It took all the self control he could muster not to expose what he knew to be a fact. That whoever wanted him and Jahad dead was in his room smiling, laughing, and pretending not to be angry along with him. Somebody he and Jahad has risked their lives for and made a pact of brotherhood with was now trying to kill them.
But why? The question nagged him ever since he’d woke up in his hospital bed. Everyone got their fair share of money and no toes were being stepped on. So why would one of his own people want him dead? Lost on him was the motive, but he would have to dig deep to figure it out. His life, as well as Jahad’s, depended on it.
A month and a half later, against the doctor’s orders, he checked himself out of Einstein General. He was fed up with lying around, the bland hospital food, and the constant hounding from the N.Y.P.D once the detectives found out that he and Jahad were bother’s. From eyewitness statements and his wound, there was no way that he could deny that he wasn't at the same crime scene. He made up a story of a botched carjacking, but the detectives weren't buying it.
If it were an attempted carjacking why would two men pull up on motorcycles and just start shooting? It was a qu
estion they asked each visit. So he simply left after sicking Valentino on the detectives even though his wounds hadn't completely healed. His right arm was still in a cast and staples were still in his side. None of this mattered. Since the cast wouldn't be coming off anytime soon, the first week after Valentino brought the gun he asked for, he’d started practicing every day in the bathroom using his left hand until he could, cock and aim with the same speed and precision he used with his right hand.
Before leaving the hospital Koran stopped by Jahad’s room. After his operation in the removal of five bullets from his chest and abdomen, he was now listed in stable condition. Dr. Johnson claimed it was a medical miracle how his body took so much damage without dying. Koran thought otherwise. Jahad was a warhorse and five measly bullets wouldn't stop him.
Entering his room, Koran felt a load of sadness like he did every time he visited. Tubes ran from Jahad’s nose and arms while a steady beep, beep echoed through the room coming from the vital signs monitor. He pulled a chair next to the bed and began talking as if Jahad were wide awake.
“I'm about to blow this joint big, Homie. I'm tired of these Jake's coming around all crazy, plus I need to get on the job. Me and Valentino been kicking it and it's still on with the prostitution thing. The Heads been coming through too asking mad questions, but I'm keeping them in the dark.”
“A yo check it, Jah. I know you groomed me so I can take your spot, but honestly bro, I don't want this shit. If I got to worry about a motherfucka I done put my life on the line for trying to mark me…” He shook his head. “Nah, I don't want no parts of that. You think you gonna leave me to put up with this shit? Picture that! I'm coming with you nigga. We can both cop cribs in Jersey and invest dough in the rap game. Tone told me how you used to flow. On the low I can spit too. We can live your dream again and own our own label. Black Market Productions. Yeah, that shit sound tight. B.M.P., we all we got!" he said, holding back tears. Seeing Jahad in this hopeless state hurt worse than the pain in his side.
“I'm sorry, but visiting hours are over,” a pretty red headed white nurse said as she entered carrying a clipboard in her hand. “We want to be careful that you don't tire him out.”
Koran raised his head, scowling. “Come on lady. How the hell can I tire him out when he’s not even woke?”
“That's what you think. Look," she said with a bright smile.
Koran snapped his head around stunned when he saw Jahad looking at him through cloudy eyes with a weak crooked smile on his face.
“You been woke the whole time?” he asked, then turned back to the nurse. “How long has he been woke?”
She blushed glancing at Jahad. “This morning when I came to check on him, he grabbed my butt. I thought it was a mistake until I came back to check on him an hour later he did it again. When I looked at him, he had that same grin on his face.”
Jahad gave Koran an innocent look.
“Oh word!” Koran laughed. “So you heard everything I said?”
“Yeah. I heard you nigga.” His voice was barely a whisper, but his eyes were alert.
“Well hear this. Hurry up and get your ass out of here. I need you, Jah. Word up, I need you bruh!”
“And Mr. Copeland,” the nurse said, addressing Jahad with a wicked smile. “My butt is off limits… for now. You may get too excited.”
Jahad winked as she turned to leave.
Later, on his way home in a cab, Koran called each Head and set up a short notice meeting at his apartment. A lot of things are about to happen and they probably wouldn't like what he was about to tell them, but so be it. Jah was the only one who knew of his intention and supported him all the way. Tony wanted in also, but Koran refused to pull him in though. Too much danger was involved and Latrice would never forgive him if something happened to Tony. So for the time being he would stay on the outside.
When he walked into his apartment and closed the door, he heard water running in the bathroom. He automatically pulled his gun and placed his back against the wall. Who in the hell would be in his apartment he thought. Tony was staying on long island with his aunt, Serenity was down south, so it could be one or two things. Either someone had broken in looking for something to steal or someone had come to kill him. Whoever it was, was as good as dead.
As he inched closer to the bathroom, the door opened suddenly and Serenity stepped out wearing a towel. His finger froze on the trigger as she screamed, her eyes crossed focus on the gun pointed at her face.
“What in the hell you doing here?” he asked angrily tucking the gun back into his waistline.
Secretly she was there to see him. “I…I,” she stuttered.
“You what?”
“I came to check on my sister. I've been calling home, but no one answered our phone.”
“She a’ight?”
“Yeah. I called Mrs. Harris when I got here. She brought her to her apartment. She said she didn't feel comfortable leaving her alone with my mother,” she answered him, then turned the tables. “What are you doing out of the hospital? I thought the doctor said you'd be there for at least two months?”
Karan ignored her question. “How long you been here?”
“I flew in about two hours ago. Now answer my question, Koran. What are you doing out the hospital?”
Koran let his eyes roam over her body from head to toe. Her black hair hung loose and wet plastered to the side of her face, stopping right at the swell of her breasts. Unconsciously, he reached out to remove the blue terry cloth towel until Serenity slapped his hand away.
“Answer my question Koran,” she said, backing away.
He grinned, stepping towards her. “If I answer will you give me some?” Serenity glanced down at the bulge in his jeans and felt herself growing moist.
“Maybe.”
“Maybe ain’t good enough.” He held her eyes as he reached out and removed the towel letting it fall to the floor. Stepping closer he kissed her softly, then moved his lips over her jaw line with light kisses. Serenity let out a low moan while working at his jeans until she held his erection in her hand.
“Turn around,” he whispered, licking on her earlobe.
Serenity complied placing her hands on the wall and spreading her legs wide. Koran started at the back of her neck with wet kisses that he trailed along her spine until he reached her round yellow buttocks. Dropping to his knees, he palmed and squeezed her plump cheeks. Turning her around slowly he ran his hands up her waist and across her flat stomach until he held her full breast in his hands.
Sin sighed loudly and Koran’s dick hardened even more. His eyes roamed back down and smiled at the cute little heart shaped design of her pubes. Reaching between her legs, he parted her folds and covered her with his mouth. He used his tongue to dark in and out between her slick lips while she winded her hips. Her juices flowed heavily rolling down the inside of her thigh.
“Koran you're driving me crazy,” Serenity moaned, clawing at his shoulders as he took her clit in his mouth.
He sucked gently like a newborn on a nipple until her body tensed, then shook uncontrollably. While she was still caught up in her orgasm, he stood up and lined his swollen dick head up with her glistening pussy lips. Teasingly, he moved up and down between her slit before pushing in. Her sex gripped him so tightly that he had to hold his breath to keep from cumming.
“Damn, Sin. You crazy tight,” he said, holding himself still, scared that if he moved he would explode.
“C’mon Koran. I need you to fuck me, baby!” Serenity demanded.
With his good arm gripping her right side, he started pumping in and out of her with long steady strokes. Every time he pulled out he felt a sharp pain in his side, but he couldn't stop. The sight of his dick disappearing inside her made the pain worth it.
“You don't know how much I missed this baby,” Serenity said, looking over her shoulder, her green eyes pouring it into his. “Is it good? Did you miss your pussy, baby?”
“You know I did. Thi
s shit about to kill me though,” he winced pushing into her again. Serenity abruptly pulled back, leaving his dick sticking straight out glistening with her juices.
“Oh my God! Why didn’t you say something!?”
“What you doing, Sin? I was almost there,” he said, frowning reaching for her hand.
“Uh, uh. Its hurting you. We’ll wait until…”
“Wait hell! I need to cum before I go crazy.” He turned and placed his back against the wall. “C’mon, you can do all the work. Word up, if you let me get this nut, I won't bother you no more until my side heals. Please, Sin! I need to be in you, for real,” he begged, stroking himself.
Serenity looked from his face to his dick, biting her bottom lip.
“Alright. But if it starts hurting you let me know, okay?”
Koran nodded eagerly as she backed her fat ass up on him halfway, then eased up off him. After a while she got into a steady motion sinking down and rotating her hips. Her pussy was making suction sounds that was driving him wild. Despite the pain, Koran pumped into her round cheeks met his short fast thrusts.
“Oh shit, Sin! Keep it just like that! Just like that!” He was just about ready to bust when he heard someone banging at the front door. Too far gone to stop, he reached around and fondled Serenity’s clit until they both went over the edge together.
“Hold… Hold the fuck on! I’m cumming!” he bellowed as he continued to release his seed deep inside Serenity. When he pulled out he only gave himself a few seconds to catch his breath before he yanked up his jeans. Serenity trembled as picked up her towel and rushed into the bedroom. Koran smiled as he watched her disappear before he rushed off to answer the door with his gun in hand.
“Who is it?”
“It’s us nigga!” Star barked. “Open the damn door.”
After tucking his gun in his waist, he opened the door and faced all four Heads. Star stood in front, his dreadlocks covered with a gray Tam matching the gray wife beater he wore. To his left stood Sha’ and on his right Prince, while Lord brought up the rear.
