City Lights

by George Sherman Hudson

  “You know you want to fuck with a nigga! Quit playing and get with this shit,” B-low spat as the alcohol and pills took over.

  “Nigga you fucking crazy! Real made your ass now you sitting here disrespecting him! I’m getting up out your shit first thing in the morning!” Constance screamed not believing what she was hearing.

  “Fuck that shit come here,” B-low said forcefully as he reached over and grabbed her from across the table.

  “Nigga get the fuck off of me,” Constance said as she tried to pull away.

  “Come here!”B-low screamed as he pulled her to him and started kissing her on the face and neck.

  “No, get off me!” Constance screamed lifting her knee, connecting with his most private part.

  “Bitch!” B-low doubled over as he screamed out in pain.

  Constance bolted to the guest house to get her phone and keys. She hurried out to her car but before she could climb behind the wheel B-low was grabbing her trying to pull her clothes off. Breaking free from B-low she bolted from the garage out into the dim lit streets straight into Blanco’s path.

  Chapter 52

  “Chow call! Chow call!; Last call for chow!” screamed the old white male dorm officer that was filling in for Miss Johnson.

  All the men crowded the door filing out for the slop in the chow hall that they referred to as food. Real was just about the last one out, delayed because he had to stash his phone in the heater before leaving.

  “Hold up, tuck your shirt in,” the old man ordered stepping in front of Real.

  Real took a deep breath and then forcefully jammed his shirt in his pants. Not in a rush being that the line was out the chow hall door, Real looked around for Bay Bay. The yard was packed with inmates coming and going to chow, going to pill call and just out walking around being that it was almost dark out and yard call most definitely would be cancelled for tonight.

  “There he go right there!” The old gang banger Anthony Strickland aka Third Born screamed to Scram that was walking slightly ahead of him.

  “Where?” Scram asked looking around the yard.

  “About to go in the chow hall,” his banger partner Third Born said pointing in Real’s direction.

  “Aight I got this nigga just get Sed so yall can block the scene while I get at this nigga.”

  “Ok. We will be on the corner by the mailbox when he come out,” Third Born said and quickly made a detour to go and get the other banger.

  Scram eased up in the chow hall and stood in line directly behind Real. He sized Real up and knew from his bulging muscles that he had to go hard when the time was right. Real never looked back while he waited in line for his tray.

  “Yo Real!” Bay Bay screamed from across the chow hall with his hand in the air.

  Real, looking up, gave him a head nod letting him know that he saw him then headed over to the table where BayBay sat with two of his goons.

  “What up bro? Here go that info, I appreciate you handling that for me,” Bay Bay told Real as the two goons got up to leave.

  “We out, Bay.” The 6’4”, deadly big man that was only twenty-one years of age told BayBay as him and another oversized young banger stood to leave.

  “I will catch yall later,” Bay Bay replied as he sat waiting on Real to finish the gravy covered meat pattie and potatoes.

  Scram sat watching Real and Bay Bay, glad that the other two men had left. Now all he needed was for Bay Bay to leave. Scram knew his bangers would take care of Bay Bay if needed but this move was only for Real and besides they didn’t want it to turn into a gang war because right now they were on some get money shit.

  Real and Bay Bay got up put their trays in the window and exited the chow hall into the night darkness with Scram close behind. Scram looked ahead of the men and saw his two bangers at the mailbox waiting for his move. Scram knew the hit had to go down tonight. He would have to let his bangers take care of Bay Bay if he interfered.

  As Scram neared the mailbox he gripped the sharp pointed steel rod tight causing the veins to pop out his hand. As Real and Bay Bay neared the mailbox where Third Born and the other banger waited Scram moved in like a cat hunting prey. Just as Scram was rearing back with the shank Real glanced back and saw him.

  “Hey! What in th…” Real started as he weaved out the way.

  Real weaved Scram coming down with the shank but when he moved to the side it left the whole side of Bay Bay neck and face open, the steel rod penetrated Bay Bay’s neck with ease he never saw it coming. Scram, pulling the shank back for another attack was met with a fist in the side of the head by Real. Scram stumbled as the force of Real blow knocked him off balance.

  Bay Bay laid lifeless in a puddle of blood with a gaping hole in the side of his neck. Real seeing his friend laid out in his blood moved in on Scram not caring about the shank he held. Just as Real moved in he was attacked from behind. Third Born discreetly stepped into the malay. The steel rod penetrated Real’s side, stopping him instantly. Scram seeing Real stunned pounced on him quickly, sticking him repeatedly as Real fought back wildly trying to get away from the men.

  After seeing that Scram had Real under control Third Born and the banger slyly eased off while Scram resumed his attack on Real. Scram cursed out loud at Real’s resilience. Real would not go down. Just as Scram positioned himself for his death blow a man screamed out from behind.

  “Hey you! Drop that!” The young freckle face rookie officer that was clearing the walk yelled.

  Real was staggering trying his best to stay on his feet. Scram saw the officer running to the scene so he took off, shank in hand. It was Scram lucky day, as he neared his dorm the door was wide open while the dorm officer was standing to the side smoking a black and mild. Scram eased in the dorm unnoticed by the smoking guard and headed straight to his room and cleaned himself up.

  “10! 10!” The rookie yelled in his radio as he surveyed the bloody scene.

  Real couldn’t stand any longer. After a couple minutes he passed out on the sidewalk in his blood soaked clothes. Officers from all over rushed the scene. Seeing all the blood they radioed for the medical cart. When the medics arrived they knew from all the blood that the men had to be rushed to the hospital.

  The EMT’s rushed the scene fifteen minutes later. Bay Bay was declared dead and Real was rushed to the hospital barely living. All the dorm windows was full of inmates looking on as the medics removed the men. Before the night was out rumors around the prison was that Real and Bay Bay were dead, killed by a crazy Mexican.

  OG smiled as he looked out at the scene. He counted the half a million over and over in his head. Scram took a shower fixed him a Bombay and sat down in front of the TV like nothing had happened. Deep down he prayed that the prison officials never found out he was behind the bloody men on the sidewalk. Real gasp for air as they wheeled him to the emergency room.

  Chapter 53

  Constance couldn’t believe B-low had attacked her. As she walked down the dark street she pulled out her BlackBerry and looked up the number for a taxi cab service. After calling a cab she dialed Real’s number.

  “The party you have reached is not available please leave…” When the beep sounded Constance started leaving a message.

  “Real this nigga B-low tried to force himself on me baby! I’m so tired of this shit please call me! I left, I’m walking down his street now waiting on a cab. I’m scared baby! I started to call the police but I know that was out of the question. I need to talk to you baby! I want you home! I’m just going…”

  Constance stopped in her tracks after hearing someone behind her.

  “You got away once but you won’t get away this time,” a voice called out from behind Constance.

  Constance turned and looked into the face of the man that tried to kill her in her office.

  “Who are you! Please leave me…Ah! No!…Ah! Please! Ah!” Blanco moved in quickly and grabbed her. He pulled his hunting knife from his pants cargo pocket and repeatedly stabbed Cons
tance.

  Constance dropped her cell phone and tried her best to get away from Blanco but he held on to her tight. He reared back time and time again with the hunting knife, slashing Constance. Constance begged and pleaded for him to stop as the blood started to soak her clothes. After being stabbed over twenty times she gave in and fell to the ground. Blanco stood over her grabbed her by her hair and pulled her head up. With one swift stroke he slit her neck and released her hair. Her limp body fell to the ground with a thump. Real’s voicemail recorded Constance, the love of his life being murdered.

  * * * * *

  B-low went back in the house and slammed the door after Constance bolted from the garage. Still tipsy from the alcohol he went up to his bedroom and fell face first into his king size custom designed bed. He was awakened a few hours later by a loud knock on the front door. He pulled himself from the comfortable bed and took the long walk to the front door.

  “Who is it?” B-low asked still a little high off the pills and alcohol.

  “Police, could we speak to you for a minute,” the two uniformed, hulking white officers asked, standing outside his door with pen and pad in hand.

  B-low wondered what this police visit was about. He didn’t keep dope in his spot so he wasn’t worried about them trying to catch him down bad. Then he thought about Constance and cursed to himself, he knew this had to be about her. Thinking that she had called the police on him he concocted a quick story and opened the door.

  “Hi may I help you?” B-low asked sleepily.

  “Sorry to wake you sir but we are canvassing the area to see if anyone recognizes this woman,” the young muscle bound officer asked holding out Constance drivers license that they got from her purse that was laying next to her dead body.

  “No, I don’t recognize her,” B-low lied looking at the license picture sideways as the officer held it out.”What’s going on? Should I lock myself in the house?” B-low asked jokingly as he looked up the road at all the flashing blue lights and the crowd of people lining the street.

  “She was found dead out in the road someone stabbed and cut her up real good. It don’t make no fucking sense how they did her,” The officer said with disgust.

  “What! DEAD?” B-low screamed then regained his composure. “Someone killed the girl on the license? That’s messed up,” B-low said surprisingly, as he thought about last night.

  “Yeah someone out here have no regards for human life. If you hear anything could you please contact us,” the officer said as he handed B-low his official card with his number on it.

  “Will do.” B-low said as he closed the door and took a deep breath.

  “Fuck!” B-low cursed out loud as he walked out to the guest house where he planned to get rid of all signs of Constance.

  B-low knew he had to contact Real and give him the news. He promised Real that he would keep Constance safe and he had let him down. He knew it had to be the man from the office. The man knew where he stayed. As he picked up around the guest house sleepiness had took over. B-low sat on the couch and a few minutes later he was fast asleep.

  Chapter 54

  Later that night Cash sat in his hotel room and counted his take. He stacked the bricks of cocaine on the hotel room counter and made a couple of calls.

  “Yeah?” Turk answered wide awake with people screaming and cheering in the background.

  “Say my guy, I know it’s late but I wanted to let you be the first to know that I just got a shipment in and everything’s going for the low low,” Cash explained as he looked over at the bricks neatly stacked on the counter.

  “What you talking bro?” Turk asked as he retreated to the backroom of his sports bar to get away from the noise.

  “You get more than three I will give ‘em to you for eighteen a piece straight up and down,” Cash told Turk as he pointed the remote at the TV and started flipping channels.

  “Eighteen a piece? What if I snatch ten?” Turk asked as he stood in the sports bar back room that he used as an office.

  “The best I can do for ten or more is seventeen five,” Cash said as he stopped the TV on BET.

  “Aight. I will call you tomorrow and I’m looking to grab ten but if my lieutenant don’t make a drop by the morning I’ll just get seven.”

  “That’ll work just holla when you ready,” Cash told Turk and ended the call.

  Cash smiled as he stared at the bricks he took from Milk Man and his crew. He ran the figures through his head. He added what he had with the take and started tingling all over. He knew he was well within the million dollar range. While watching Lil Wayne and Bird Man rep New Orleans Cash propped up on a pillow and fired up a blunt.

  * * * * *

  The next day OG hurried off to the chaplain office.

  “Everything is taken care of—you can have the money delivered here.” OG handed Kenneth a piece of paper with an address on it as he walked into the prison Chaplain’s office.

  “He’s not dead yet. He is in critical condition right now we have to wait for the outcome before any money is exchanged,” Kenneth told OG as he peeped out of his office blinds at the prison warden and top brass getting ready for inspection.

  “He’s not dead?” OG asked confused.

  “No. The other guy is the one that was killed. I came to you to handle this job but you seem to keep falling short. Maybe I need to go speak with Piru about taking care of this Richard fella,” Kenneth said calmly referring to OG’s gang rival with his back to OG still looking out the window.

  In a swift motion OG wrapped his arm around the chaplain neck and positioned a shank to the side of his face.

  “Look here you coward bitch you ever disrespect my gangster again I will leave you stankin’ up in this bitch! The job will get done and when it does, you better have every penny of the money. Now find out what’s up with Real and let me know when he arriving back on compound,” OG spat, pushed the chaplain face first into the wall and slammed the door as he walked out of the office.

  * * * * *

  The stabbings were the talk of the compound. It didn’t take Tino long to get the news. Even though he hadn’t known Real that long he still had love for him like a brother. Tino contacted some of his connects to find out who was behind the hit. Before the day was out he knew about the money being offered, the gang behind it and the man that stabbed Real.

  Tino called one of his lil mission men that he left back in the dorm and told him to go to Real’s room and get his phone from the heater and send it over to him in the hole. After making sure all Real belongings were secure he called his partner in crime and one of the prisons most feared men Yaki.

  Yaki was down for triple murder with life without parole. He was an animal without a conscience. Yaki and Tino were good friends. Yaki was known to go hard with his tool whenever he had a problem. Tino explained what happened to Yaki and they planned to take care of Scram and everybody else involved. Tino had twenty eight days until he got out the hole, a blood bath was in the near future.

  The hole orderly delivered Real’s phone to Tino later that night. Taking it out of the Bugler pack Real had it wrapped in, Tino saw that Real had left it on. Real had over ten missed calls where someone had left voicemails. Seeing that it was set on lock Tino turned it back off and placed it back in the cigarette pack and stuffed it in his mattress. Just as Tino turned the phone off detective Long that was investigating Constance murder was dialing the number for the fourth time trying to see who Constance was talking to just before she was murdered.

  Chapter 55

  The next morning B-low woke up in the guest house with a splitting head ache and a hangover. He shook off his sleep and thought back on last night events.

  “Fuck,” He cursed out loud faulting himself for Constance murder.

  Getting up and getting rid of all of Constance belongings he got in her car and drove it out to the airport and left it. After making sure the car had no signs of him anywhere he flagged down a cab that had just dropped off a co
uple looking like they were going on vacation. Riding in the back of the cab on the way home all he could think about was Constance. Arriving back at the house twenty minutes later he tipped the cab driver twenty dollars, jumped out the cab and rushed back in the house.

  * * * * *

  Real had been upgraded to stable condition and moved into a regular room. His lungs had been punctured and he was lucky to be alive because the shank came inches away from his heart. Real was guarded by two correctional officers as he laid in the hospital bed. Looking at all the bed controls he pressed the button to lift the head of the bed up, grabbed the remote and turned the TV on.

  “Somebody feeling better I see,” The slim, petite female officer said, as Real flipped channels on the TV.

  “Yeah I’m cool,” Real said, as he put the TV on the news.

  “Good, so now we won’t have to keep working overtime making sure you don’t escape,” her male counterpart spat with a frown.

  “Yeah, whatever,” Real spat back as he put the TV on the channel 2 news.

  The two officers sat, flanking the bed as Real watched the news and thought about revenge. He hoped that Bay Bay was ok. No one had informed him that Bay Bay was dead.

  Real turned up the TV when the female reporter came on the screen with a late breaking news story…

  This just in, the well known and highly respected realtor to some of Atlanta’s richest and most recognized figures has been murdered. Constance Alexander was found dead in the middle of the street in the Highland Hills neighborhood that’s known for its million dollar homes and sixteen hole golf course. A resident coming home from a late dinner date spotted her laying in middle of the street. When police got to the scene they saw that she had been stabbed repeatedly and her neck had been slit. No motive or suspect has been named in the case. We will keep you updated as information becomes available…

  Real was speechless and in shock. He stared at the TV in total disbelief. He dropped the remote and closed his eyes. A single tear ran down the side of his face as his whole body went numb. The two officers paid him no attention as he silently screamed for his baby, his best friend, his soon to be wife.