Street Dreams

by K'wan

  “Fuck it,” Rio said. “You ready to do this?”

  “As I’ll ever be. Yo, dawg,” Shamel said, placing his hand over Rio's heart. “If I don’t make it outta here, I want you to know that you’re my heart. If fate has decided that I’m gonna die tonight, then let it be with you, my nigga.”

  “Thanks, Mel,” Rio said, placing his hand over Shamel's heart. “You the realist nigga I know and I’m glad to call you my brother. Now fuck the dumb shit. Let's go twist these bitch niggaz wigs back.”

  Carl stood guard in front of the warehouse, bored out of his mind. Baron had said he had an important job for the youngster, but this isn’t what he had in mind. Here he was standing watch over the warehouse while the rest of the crew was probably inside taking turns with the bad little light-skinned chick that they snatched. Carl got the short end of the stick as usual. He longed for something exciting to happen.

  “Yo!” Shamel called from behind him. When Carl turned around, Shamel jammed the shotgun into the young man's chest and pulled the trigger. The game was afoot.

  Trinity felt like death warmed over. Her lips were dry and cracked from dehydration and her muscles began to ache from spending all of that time sitting on the little metal chair. She didn’t know how long she had been there, but she figured it had been a while because her deodorant was starting to wear off.

  For the first time Trinity took notice of her surroundings. It appeared that Baron was keeping her in an office of sorts. There was a beat-up old desk off to her left, with yellowing papers scattered on it. The garbage strewn on the floor and cobwebs that coated the furniture, told her that the office hadn’t been used in a while. Before Trinity could try and fit any more pieces of the puzzle together Baron returned to the office carrying a bag.

  “I see you’re awake,” he said, setting the bag on the desk. “I figured you might be hungry, so I brought you something to eat. I hope you like McDonald's.” Trinity didn’t answer. “Come on, Trinity. You don’t have to try and play tough with me.”

  “Fuck you, Baron,” she said through swollen lips. “I don’t want shit from you.”

  “Whatever. If you wanna play the tough bitch, then be my guest. It's your stomach.”

  “Keep talking, Baron. When Rio finds you, your ass is out.”

  “Please,” Baron said, waving her off. “We’re in the middle of west bubble-fuck. Rio's got a snowball's chance in hell of finding you.” Baron smiled confidently as hope drained from Trinity's face. He truly believed that he had it all mapped out, until he heard gunshots.

  After driving around in circles for a while, Officer Brown finally managed to track down the stolen Cutlass. When he examined the inside of the car, he found two AK clips and an empty box of shotgun shells. He knew that whatever the dynamic-duo were doing up there, it wasn’t good.

  Brown scanned the area, but found no signs of Rio or Shamel. He wondered where the two had gotten to. Something behind a beat-up warehouse caught his attention. He couldn’t tell from where he was standing, but it looked like a shoe. Brown made his way over to the warehouse so he could get a closer look. Sure enough it was a shoe. But the shoe was attached to a corpse. A young man was lying on the ground with his chest missing. If Brown wasn’t sure before, he was sure now. Rio and Shamel were up to no good. Officer Brown retrieved his police radio from his car and called for backup.

  The sound of gunfire from outside the warehouse brought Baron's soldiers running. They were ready for war, but unfortunately so was Rio. Six men came charging down the stairs and were met by a murderous Rio.

  He leveled the AK and squeezed the trigger. The hail of bullets ripped through the wooden steps as well as two of the gunmen. The remaining four scattered and tried to surround the duo.

  One of the gunmen tried to hide behind a large crate. Shamel had a trick for his ass. He loaded two of the explosive shells into the gauge and cocked the slide. When he cut loose with the gun, it sounded like thunder. The explosive shells slammed into the crate, torching it and the man who used it for cover.

  The two shooters took turns popping shots at Rio, but they didn’t slow him down. Rio was a man possessed. He took his time firing burst from the machine gun at the men. One of the men was lucky enough to sneak up behind Rio. As if he was in an action movie, the shooter screamed as he charged Rio. This corny-ass stunt proved to be his undoing.

  Without missing a beat, Rio pulled a 9 from his waistband and turned it on the shooter. The slugs hit the shooter in the neck and head, dropping him at Rio's feet. While Rio was preoccupied with the action-hero, another one of the shooters caught him in the shoulder. Rio was thrown face first into a crate, losing his grip on the AK. As he lay on the ground trying gather his wits, the shooter advanced on him.

  Detective Stark paced the squad room, ranting. He had laid his plan out carefully, anticipating his promotion and all the other perks that would come with the bust. Now everything was going to shit. “Damn, damn, damn!” Detective Stark shouted. “What's wrong?” Jenkins asked.

  “Your stupid-ass partner, that's what's wrong. It just came in over the radio that he tried to play lone-soldier and go after Rio alone. Right now there's a goddamn Wild West shoot-out going on in the Bronx.”

  “What the hell was Brown thinking?”

  “You tell me. That dickhead is gonna ruin everything. Come on,” Jenkins said, grabbing his coat. “We gotta get to the Bronx before all of our plans go to shit.” Detective Stark jetted from the precinct, followed by Officer Jenkins. They were on a quest for glory, but would only find carnage and death.

  Stan came bursting into the office where Trinity was being kept. “Baron,” he said out of breath. “We’ve got trouble.”

  “What the fuck is going on out there?” Baron asked, getting scared. “What's all the shooting about?”

  “That nigga Rio is here. He's down there lunching the fuck out. At least three or four of ours are dead already.”

  At the mention of Rio's name, Trinity popped her head up. It was a long shot, but her boo managed to find her. “Yeah,” she taunted Baron. “I told ya punk ass that my man was gonna come for me. All of you ma fuckas is dead now.”

  “Oh, yeah,” Baron said, getting angry. “If I’m gonna die, then your ass is checking out too,” Baron gagged Trinity with a nasty old sock that he had found on the ground. “Stan, stash yourself somewhere. If he makes it past the soldiers, you’re the last line of defense. Stan rushed from the office to find someplace to hide. Baron checked his gun to make sure it was loaded. He was scared to death, but he tried not to show it in front of Trinity. Truck's little deal didn’t seem so sweet anymore. Rio coming for his head was definitely not part of the bargain.

  “Got ya punk ass now,” the shooter said, standing over a dazed Rio. “Bringing your head back to Truck is gonna guarantee me a block of my own. Later, nigga.” Just as the shooter began to apply pressure to the trigger, his head burst open. Rio was pleased to see Shamel standing there, holding a smoking gun.

  “Nigga,” Shamel barked. “Get the fuck up. We ain’t got Trinity back yet.”

  Before Rio could get to his feet, a barrage of bullets came sailing in their direction. He and Shamel were lucky enough to find cover behind some oil drums. Rio wanted to go for his AK, but it was too far away. They were pinned. Suddenly an idea formed in Rio's head.

  “You got that other hammer on you?” Shamel asked.

  “Yeah, why?”

  “Give it here, dawg. I’m going for a touchdown.”

  “Rio, this ain’t no goddamn schoolyard football game. These niggaz is serious.”

  “Me too, nigga,” he said, taking Shamel's desert eagle. “Cover me, dawg.” Holding his 9 in one hand and Shamel's pistol in the other, Rio charged in the gunmen's direction. Shamel laid cover fire with the 12-gauge, giving his friend the time that he needed. Rio leapt up onto a box in the center of his attackers’ hiding places. When they looked up and saw Rio standing above them, both men took on shocked facial expressions.
Unfortunately, those would be the faces they would die wearing. Rio dumped two shots into each one of their heads.

  All of the gunmen lay in different positions throughout the ground floor of the warehouse. The only thing they had in common was the fact that they were all dead and stinking. But this did not slacken Rio's bloodlust. Rio screamed the name of his enemy at the top of his lungs. “Baron!”

  When Baron heard Rio roar his name, he knew that his soldiers were dead. It was beyond him how two men could take out a half dozen soldiers? Baron didn’t have time to ponder it at the moment. He had to prepare for Rio.

  Baron began to drag Trinity's chair to a far corner of the room. Next he busted most of the lights in the office. The room was dimly lit and that made it hard to see clearly. As Trinity watched Baron running around doing this and that, she wondered if when Rio came through that door it would be their last time seeing each other?

  Hearing that the gunfire had died down, Officer Brown made his way slowly into the warehouse. The sight that greeted him was a grotesque one indeed. The walls and floors were all coated with blood and entrails. Several bodies were scattered throughout the warehouse, but surprisingly enough, none of them was Rio or Shamel.

  Brown cocked his pistol and proceeded with extreme caution. Judging by the vicious nature in which the men in the warehouse were killed, Rio was past the point of reasoning. He would leave with Rio in shackles if he could, but if it got crazy then Brown had to do what he had to do. Brown continued to search the warehouse, wondering where the two men had gotten to. When he heard the gunshots coming from upstairs, he knew.

  “Be careful,” Shamel said, leading the way. “We don’t know where this little ma fucka is hiding out.”

  “All I wanna do is find Trinity, Mel.”

  “We will, kid. Just be easy.”

  “I’m trying.” As Rio looked at Shamel in the dim light of the tiny hallway, he thought he saw something flash across Shamel's face. At first he thought it was the light playing tricks with his eyes, but then he saw it again. A red dot came to rest on Shamel's chest. By the time Rio shouted his warning, the left side of Shamel's chest was blown open.

  “Mel!” Rio shouted. He grabbed the big man's shotgun and started dumping rounds into the darkness. There was a scream at the other end of the hallway, but Rio never heard it. The sound was drowned out by his own sobbing.

  “Not my nigga,” Rio pleaded as he dropped to his knees. “Come on, dawg.”

  “Damn.” Shamel coughed. “Nigga caught me out there, huh?”

  “Don’t worry about it, Mel. I’m gonna get you outta here.”

  “Fuck that,” Shamel said, squeezing Rio's hand. “Ain’t no way I’m leaving here. Get ya wife, and boogie.” “I don’t want to leave you, Mel.”

  “I don’t want you to leave me either … but it is what it is. We had a good run, huh?”

  “Yeah,” Rio said, crying. “We sure did.”

  “I’m getting cold, Rio.” Shamel began to shiver.

  “Just hold on, kid. I’m gonna get you some help.”

  “Nah… I’ll be gone by the time they get here. Just stay with me for a minute. I don’t wanna die alone.”

  “Anything for you, kid. Anything.”

  When Trinity heard Rio screaming Shamel's name, her heart wanted to break. A chill ran through her body and she knew that her friend was gone. She glared at Baron from her darkened corner, and her hate for him grew tenfold. She promised herself that if Rio didn’t kill Baron, she would.

  As Rio sat at his friend's side, he could feel Shamel's grip weakening. Within a few minutes his childhood friend had returned to the essence. Rio closed his friend's eyes and kissed his forehead. He and Shamel had come a long way together, but the last mile would be his to walk alone. Rio gathered up the two handguns and went to face Baron.

  As soon as Rios shadow appeared in the darkened doorway, Baron started shooting. Rio shot back, but he couldn’t pinpoint Baron's location in the dim light. Trinity peeped what was going on and tried her best to warn Rio, but the gag kept her silent.

  Rio was getting frustrated playing with Baron. He decided to do it smart. The next time that Baron fired Rio would just aim for the muzzle flash. Which is just what Baron wanted him to do. Baron positioned himself behind Trinity and popped two more shots. Rio followed the muzzle flash and let off two shots of his own. He could hear a muffled scream and a body hit the ground. He smiled sinisterly to himself, thinking he had just finished off the infamous Baron.

  When Rio flicked on the lights, he was rewarded by a bullet to the stomach. He collapsed to the ground, but managed to shift his weight so he’d land behind a desk. He couldn’t understand what was going on. He knew that he had just shot Baron. What kind of game was the kid playing? When Rio peeped under the desk, he realized that Baron was playing for keeps.

  Rio saw his boo sprawled out on the ground with a bullet hole in the side of her head. His heart smashed into a million pieces upon seeing his Trinity dead. How could God be so cruel? An uncontrollable rage overcame him. Ignoring the pain in his left shoulder and gut, Rio grasped the desk by its edges. Using every ounce of strength left in his body, he hurled the metal desk in Baron's direction. The desk flopped over and smashed into Baron's knee. The impact was so great that it sent Baron's pistol flying from his hand. Baron collapsed into the corner howling in pain.

  “You killed her,” Rio said, approaching Baron. “This didn’t have anything to do with her, Baron. She was mine and you had no right. Now you gotta die with her.”

  Baron started to try and reason with Rio, but the look in his eyes said, “don’t bother.” Rio's sanity had officially left the building. Baron tried to reach for his gun, but Rio was ready. He let off a shot with the desert eagle and blew three of Baron's fingers off. He looked Baron in the eye and saw nothing but fear coming from the tough guy. Rio swept his glance from Baron to Trinity and back again. Giving a heavy sigh, he emptied both of his guns into Baron's face and chest.

  As his adrenaline rush faded, Rio's wounds started to take their toll. He collapsed on the floor next to his boo. “My precious, Trinity,” he said, stroking her cheek. “I’m so sorry. I should’ve been there for you. Please, forgive me?” Rio heard footsteps coming up the stairs and grabbed Baron's gun. He was too weak to go on, but if it was more of Baron's soldiers then he was ready to go out in a blaze. Luckily it was just Officer Brown.

  “Put it down, Darius,” Officer Brown barked. “Put the gun down.”

  “They killed her, you know,” Rio said sobbing. “My boo was only nineteen, Officer Brown.”

  “It's gonna be okay, Rio. Just put it down.”

  “I love you,” Rio said, kissing her chilling lips. “In this life or the next. I love you, Trinity.” Rio looked at the pistol in his hand as if he was seeing it for the first time.

  When Officer Brown saw the grief in Rio's eyes, he knew the kid would never be the same. To cap it off he was about to go to jail for a very long time. Officer Brown would grieve for young Trinity, but at that moment he had a job to do. “Darius, I’m not going to tell you again. Put the gun down. It's over.”

  Rio tried to force himself to focus on what the cop was saying, but all he could think of was his lover and how she would never see her plans through. The streets had claimed another promising life and shattered yet another dream. “You’re right,” Rio said, chuckling. “Without Trinity, there ain’t shit here for me. Now we can both be free, ma. Fuck it!” Before Officer Brown could stop him, Rio put the pistol in his mouth and painted the walls with his own brains.

  Officer Brown's heart was heavy as he approached the two bodies. Rio lay across his lover's body, with blood oozing from the back of his head. Rio had gotten what his hand called for. He knew the consequences for his actions and he accepted it. Trinity, on the other hand, deserved better. She had so much promise, but her love for Rio made her blind to it. It would just be another sad story in the daily news.

  30

 
“WHEN IT'S ALL SAID AND DONE”

  Jhad decided that he’d seen enough death to last him a lifetime. Shortly after Rio killed himself, J decided to retire from the game and go back to Georgia to be with his family. It had been a while since he had seen his grandchildren. But before J stepped down, he had some last-minute business to attend to. He made sure Rio, Trinity, and Shamel were buried side by side. They were the happy trio in life and wouldn’t be denied that honor in death. He took a good chunk of Rio's money and gave it to Sally to do with as she pleased. The rest he put into a trust fund for little Billy.

  Unfortunately for Billy, BCW took him anyway. His sister was gone and his last remaining relative was a crackhead. Billy didn’t mind though. There was nothing left in the Douglass projects for him. On the day that they took him, Billy received good news in the mail. Trinity's GED scores came and she passed with flying colors. Billy would always keep those scores with him, even through to adulthood. They were his last link to his beloved sister.

  It had been over a week since Truck had been picked up. The police said that he was under their protection, but he felt more like a prisoner. Truck had his own television and didn’t have to eat the prison food, but he still couldn’t go anywhere. It seemed that word of his activities had gotten back to the Capos and they weren’t happy about it. He didn’t give a shit. He still had his money. Once the streets died down, they would release him and he was on the next thing smoking to nowhere.

  “Open cell four!” Shouted a beefy guard.

  “Cell four,” Truck said. “But that's my cell. I ain’t supposed to have no company.”

  “Don’t worry, Truck. It’ll only be for the night. Besides, this guy is about one-sixty soaked. I know you ain’t nervous?”