Blood of a Boss: The Moreno Family
Page 19
“Yeah, everything’s straight,” he replied while hopping in the truck.
He tossed the book bag in the backseat, and then started the ignition and pulled off with the black minivan close behind.
*****
In The City’s Logan Section...
Nahfisah was sitting on her bed, sky high from the crack she’d just finished smoking. Unfortunately, ever since the day Beaver Bushnut introduced her to the white chunky substance, she’d been hooked like a fish.
“Nahfisah!” Her grandmother called from the first floor.
“Yes, granny!” She nervously replied. She was paranoid from the crack.
“I need you to drive to the drug store and pick up my heart medicine.”
“Damn. Why the fuck is her old ass always askin’ for somethin’?” She said to herself. “This bitch be killin’ my vibe!”
“Nahfisah, did you hear what I said?" Her grandmother continued shouting from the living room. "I need you to pick up my medicine!’
“Yeah, granny, I heard you! Damn!”
*****
At the A Plus gas station on Broad and Windrem, Sheed was sitting behind the steering wheel of his new 2013 Chevy Corvette. He was puffing on a Backwood and counting the $10,000 that he’d just made from his last sale. As he sat there waiting for a local crack head to finish pumping his gas, his cell phone vibrated in his lap. He looked at the screen and saw that it was his older brother, Pooky calling from SCI Graterford.
“Yo, bro!”
“Sheed, what’s up baby boy? Did you take that money to the lawyer?”
“Yeah,” Sheed nodded his head and smiled. “He said that the DNA test came back negative, and that he’s in the process of puttin’ together ya new appeal.”
“Awwww man!” Pooky snapped. “I knew it. I knew that DNA test was gonna get us outta here, bro! It’s been seventeen years, and all over some shit we didn’t have nothin’ to do wit’! I told you that wasn’t our blood that they found in that mu'fuckin’ house,” Pooky continued, referring to the blood evidence that convicted him and their cousin, Rahman sixteen years ago. “So, did he say how long it’s gonna take for him to get us outta here?”
“He said it’s gon’ take at least a year before the entire process is completed. It’s cool, though, because he said the after discover evidence will establish actual innocence and that the judge ain’t gonna have no other choice but to let y’all go,” Sheed smiled. He was happy that his brother and cousin were finally coming home after all those years.
“Hey, yo, you know when I come home it’s on right?"
“I already know, big bro,” Sheed continued smiling. "Make sure you tell Rahman that I send my love, and I’ll be up there to see y’all next week.”
“A’ight, lil’ bro. I love you, dawg.”
“I love you more.”
Click!
After disconnecting the call, a pearl white SL 550 drove pass and pulled into the drugstore across the street. Initially, he thought the driver was either Sonny or Riana, but when a curvy, light skinned woman with long, silky black hair hopped out the car, he realized that the driver was Nahfishah, and that the Benz was Tommy’s.
Approximately ten minutes later, she emerged from the drugstore, hopped back in the Benz, and pulled out of the parking lot. As she drove up Old York Road, nodding her head to Nicki Manaj’s latest mixtape, she failed to notice the cherry red Corvette that was following her.
She made a left turn on Wyoming Avenue, and continued driving until she reached 10th Street. She parked the Benz in front of her grandmother’s house, hopped out and headed toward the front door. When she placed the key in the door knob, Sheed slid up behind her and placed the barrel of his Desert Eagle to the side of her neck.
“What’s poppin’ Nahfisah?”
She tried to turn around, but he mashed her face into the door. “Bitch, where the fuck is them bricks at?”
She looked out the corner of her eye and saw that it was Sheed. “Oh, my God! Sheed, I didn’t have nothin’ to do wit’ Tommy tellin’ on y’all!”
“Bitch, shut the fuck up. That rat ass nigga stole them bricks from us, and I know you got ‘em, so where they at?”
“I don’t know whatchu talking ‘bout,” she lied. “Tommy never told me nothin’ about no bricks.”
He glanced from left to right, looking for any possible witnesses. He saw none.
“Yo, open the door. We gon’ go inside and get to the bottom of this shit.”
“I ain’t openin’ nothin’. Fuck you.”
Again, he bashed her face against the wooden door.
“If I gotta tell ya stupid ass one more time, I’ma fuckin’ kill you.”
“A’ight, damn! I’ma open the door.” She cried as she nervously unlocked the door.
When they entered the house, her grandmother was sitting in her wheelchair, and Imani was lying on the carpet watching cartoons. He punched Nahfisah in the back of her head, and she crashed to the carpet.
“Oh, my God!” Her grandmother cried out. “Nigga, whatchu you doin’ in my goddamn house? You better get yo ass outta here ‘fore I call the poe-lice!”
“Bitch, I ain’t goin’ no fuckin’ where ‘til this stankinass bitch gimme my shit!” He snapped, while aiming the gun at Nahfisah.
Imani hopped up from the carpet and ran over to her mother. She wrapped her little arms around Nahfisah’s neck, and then looked at Sheed with hate in her eyes. “Leave my mommy alone!”
Her grandmother looked around for the house phone, but couldn’t find it. “Nahfisah!” She shouted. “If you have something that belongs to this black heathen, you need to give it to him ‘fore somebody gets hurt!”
“Granny, he’s lyin’! I ain’t got nothin’ that belongs to him!” Nahfisah screamed as she lay on the carpet hugging Imani.
Sheed kicked her in the ribs with the tip of his boot.
“Bitch, you better stop playin’ and gimme my shit! As a matter of fact,” he reached down and grabbed Imani by her hair. “Get ya ass over here.”
“Noooo!” Nahfisah screamed. “Don’t hurt her!”
He ignored her pleas and dragged the little girl over to her great grandmother. In a fit of rage, he clunked the grandmother upside the head with the side of his pistol, and then pushed her out of the wheelchair.
He then aimed the .50 caliber at Nahfisah’s face and snarled, “Get ya ass upstairs! I need to show you somethin’.” He dragged Imani up the stairs and led her to the bathroom.
“Please don’t hurt my baby, Sheed. She didn’t do anything.”
“Well, gimme them bricks and I won’t.”
“Sheed, I’m tellin’ you the truth. I don’t know nothin’ about no bricks,” she continued crying.
He scowled at her and shook his head in disbelief. He ordered her to remove her shirt, and when she declined he fired a shot into the bathroom wall.
Doom!
“Okay! Okay!” She complied and quickly removed her shirt.
He shoved Imani toward her. “Now, tie her hands behind her fuckin’ back! And if you try some slick shit, I’m killin’ both of y’all.”
Reluctantly, she followed his orders and tied Imani’s hands behind her back.
“Please don’t hurt her. Whatever happened between you and Tommy, that was between y’all,” she sobbed. “Me and Imani ain’t got nothin’ to do wit’ this shit.”
“I ain’t try’na hear that,” Sheed spat. “That rat ass nigga left you them bricks before he died, and now you try’na keep ‘em.”
He reached out and grabbed Imani by the front of her shirt.
“Agggghhh! Mommy make him stop!” She screamed at the top of her lungs.
He wrapped his hands around her neck and squeezed.
“Shut ya lil’ ass up ‘fore I kill you.” He looked at Nahfisah. “This is ya last mu’fuckin’ chance. Now tell me where you hidin’ that fuckin’ work.”
When she didn’t respond, his face became red with anger.
&nb
sp; “Oh, you think I’m bluffin’, huh? You think this shit’s a game?” A sinister expression spread across his face, and he lowered his voice a few octaves. “A’ight, watch this.”
He turned Imani upside down, and then dipped her head in the toilet bowl. Her little body bucked back and forth and her legs kicked wildly.
At the sight of her daughter’s torment, Nahfisah begged him to stop, but Sheed just scowled at her. He lifted Imani’s head out of the toilet, and she coughed and gagged. The second she regained her breath, she cried, “Mommy, make him stop!”
“Bitch, you see I ain’t playin’. Now, gimme my shit or I’ma kill ya whole fuckin' family!” He looked at Imani. “And I’m startin’ wit’ her!”
Again, he dipped her head in the toilet bowl.
“A’ight, Sheed. Damn, I’ma give you ya shit.”
He lifted the little girl’s head out of the toilet, and she continued to cough and gag. He laid her fragile body on the tiled floor, and then looked at Nahfisah.
“Well, what the fuck is you waitin’ for? Where they at?”
“I got ‘em in my bedroom closet,” she finally admitted.
He nodded his head, and then followed her to her bedroom. When she pulled the pillow case from her closet and dumped the keys on her bed, he immediately began counting them.
“Hold the fuck up. It’s only 24 bricks right here. It’s supposed to be 30, so where’s the rest of ‘em?”
“I don’t know," she shrugged her shoulders, and wiped the tears from her face. “Tommy must’ve sold ‘em.”
“Well, how much money you got?”
She lowered her head. “A little over $5,000.”
He shook his head from side to side, and for the first time he felt sorry for her. He remembered a time when he considered her his sister, and would’ve done anything for her. Damn, this rat ass nigga got me in here terrorizing this girl and her family, he thought to himself, feeling slightly ashamed.
“Hey, yo Fisah, I didn’t mean for shit to go this far, but Tommy stole this work, and I ain’t have no other choice.”
“Whatever, Sheed. You got whatchu came for, now can you please leave my house?”
“A’ight, and you can keep the money,” he replied, while stuffing the bricks back into the pillow case. “Oh, yeah,” he looked her square in the eyes, “you know if you tell anybody about this I’ma kill you right?”
“Whatever, Sheed. Just take ya shit and get the fuck out.”
Chapter Twenty-One
Two Weeks Later...
After wiping out the 22nd and McKean crew, the Block Boys laid low. They were waiting for Grip and his soldiers to strike back, but so far they hadn’t. In Trenton, New Jersey, Nasty and the twins were becoming impatient. They were yearning for action. They were yearning for the block. The game’s funny like that. The same way a crack head was addicted to crack, the hustler was addicted to the hustle. It wasn’t even about the money. It was all about the intoxicating feeling of making the money. They needed to hustle. They needed Sonny to reopen the block.
“Yo Zai, call Sonny and ask him to meet us at the spot,” said Egypt.
“Nizzaw, you call him,” Zaire shot back.
Nasty entered the living room and said, “Here, gimme ya phone, I’ll call him.”
Zaire handed him his Samsung, and then slouched back in the leather recliner. Nasty dialed Sonny’s number, and then held the phone to his ear.
Ring! Ring! Ring!
“Yo,” Sonny answered.
“Peace, big homie! What’s poppin’?”
“Nasty, what’s bangin’?” He replied, immediately recognizing the voice of his favorite young bul.
“Aye, me and the twins need to holla at you.”
“A’ight, where y’all at?”
“We at the Trenton spot.”
“Say no more. I’ll be there in an hour.”
“Well actually, we was hopin’ you could meet us on the block.”
“On the block? For what?”
“Yo, I ain’t gon’ hold you scrap, niggas is tired of layin’ low. We try’na get back on them streets.”
Sonny sighed. “You know what, meet me on the block in an hour.”
Click!
After disconnecting the call, he went downstairs to the basement and opened his vault. He looked at the $1,800,000 that was stashed inside, and shook his head in disbelief. Damn, if wasn’t for Mook, I wouldn’t have none of this shit, he thought to himself.
As he stood there staring at the pyramids of money, his iPhone vibrated in his pants pocket. He grabbed it and looked at the screen.
“Pops, what’s good?”
“Hey Sonny, we need to talk,” Easy stated in a somber voice.
“What’s wrong pops? Everything good?”
“Yeah, everything’s good. I just need to talk to you about the block.”
“Damn, you too. First Nasty and the twins, and now here you come wit’ the same shit. Don’t y’all realize we in the trenches right now?”
“I understand all that, but at the same time, we still gotta eat,” Easy responded.
“A’ight man. I’ma be on the block in an hour, so come through and holla at me.”
“I’ll be there,” Easy assured him.
“Hey, pops, before you hang up, I need to ask you somethin’.”
“A’ight, just keep in mind that we’re on the phone,” Easy warned him.
“When you was doin’ ya thing back in the day, did you ever get the feelin’ that enough was enough?”
“Without a doubt. Me and every other nigga in the game.”
“Well, what did you do about it?”
“I ignored the feelin’ and kept on pushin’,” he replied, full of regret. “I went full speed ahead and ended up crashing into a brick wall.”
“Hey, yo pops, I ain’t gonna hold you man, but I’m really startin’ to feel like it’s time for me to fold my hand. It’s like, I done came up so fast that it’s kinda scary. Me and Riri got the baby comin’, and I’m afraid that if I keep on movin’ the way I’m movin’, this shit gonna fuck around and get the best of me.”
“Well, if you’re feelin’ like that, then you need to follow ya instincts. It seems like you’ve already got whatchu came for, so you might as well walk away while you still can. Don’t make the same mistake that I made when I had my run. You’s a smart mutha’fucka, and deep down you know whatchu need to do.”
“I’m sayin’ though, what about my niggas?”
“What about ‘em? If they truly love you the way they say they do, then they’ll have no other choice but to respect ya decision.”
“But what if they don’t?”
“Then you keep it pushin’ and don’t look back.”
“A’ight, pops, I’m a holla at you some more when I get to the block.”
Click!
After disconnecting the call, he picked up the manila envelope that was lying on the floor in his vault, and then called upstairs to Riana. A few seconds later, she descended the stairs with Rocko cradled in her arms.
“What’s that?” She nodded at the envelope.
“College applications. After you have the baby, I want you to go back to school and get a degree in somethin’.”
She handed him Rocko, and then grabbed the envelope. She opened it and pulled out applications for Temple, Drexel, Lincoln, and West Chester.
“A’ight, I’ll make you a deal. Since you want me to go back to school so bad, I’m a do it, but only if you stop hustlin’.”
He smiled at her. “I’m two steps ahead of you. As soon as I run through these last 55 joints, I’ma do whatchu said and open up my own business.”
A huge smile spread across her face and she wrapped her arms around him.
“A’ight Riri, damn. You’re gonna fuck around and smother me,” he laughed.
“Shut up.” She released her bear hug and punched him in the shoulder. “So, do you have any ideas about what kind of business you wanna open?”
“Donkees? What the hell kinda name is that?” She teased.
“A’ight, well you know how Hooters got pretty waitresses wit’ big titties?” She nodded her head. “Well, Donkees is gonna have pretty waitresses wit’ fat asses.”
She burst out laughing. “Boo, you’re crazy as shit, but you know what, that’s a good idea. The way y’all niggas love a cute face and a fat ass, that shit could be a goldmine. Especially if you throw some of my cookin’ up in the mix ‘cause you know a bitch can burn,” she bragged.
“Damn yo, now that I really think about it that shit could definitely be a gold mine. I’ma call my real estate agent and see if she can find me a nice location. In the meantime,” he smacked her on the ass. “You need to fill out these applications so we can get ya lil’ sexy pregnant self back in school.”
*****
An Hour Later...
When Sonny pulled up on the block and spotted Nasty and the twins sitting on milk crates, he shook his head in disbelief.
“These niggas really think shit’s sweet,” he said to himself as he parked the Escalade in front of his trap house.
After turning off the ignition, he hopped out with a duffle bag strapped to each shoulder. He grinded them up about not being on point, and then led them inside of the house. He laid the duffle bags on the dining room table, then twisted up a Backwood. Breeze and Sheed walked through the front door and joined them at the table.
Sonny sparked up his Backwood and took a long pull. He coughed a couple of times, and then exhaled a cloud of smoke. He glanced around the dining room table, then began talking. “First of all, I want y’all to know that I love y’all, and that I honor y’all loyalty. Secondly, I want y’all to know that whatever y’all chose to do when it comes down to gettin’ money, I’ma support y’all movement. As of right now, well at least when I knock off this last lil’ bit of work, I’m officially out the game.”