by Askari
“Out the game?” Sheed looked at him like he was crazy. “What the fuck do you mean you gettin’ out the game? We’re in the middle of a mu’fuckin’ war!”
Sonny looked at him and gritted his teeth. He wanted to snap on him, but instead he held his composure. “Listen, as far as this hustlin’ shit, I’m done, dawg. But when it comes to this beef," he pulled out a nickel plated .45 and laid it on the table. “I’m locked and loaded, and I’m ridin’ ‘til the day we kill every last one of them niggas. But the second we do, and this war is over, I’m fallin’ all the way back.”
“But what about us?” Egypt asked. “Me, Zai, and Nasty ain’t got nothin’ but the block. If you leavin’ the game, then how we supposed to eat? You the one that’s feedin’ us.”
“Yeah,” Nasty concurred. “How you just gon’ turn ya back on the family? We all we got,” he continued in a disappointed tone of voice.
“I’m not turnin’ my back on the family!” Sonny shouted with frustration in his voice. “I’ve gotta worry about Riana and the baby. I already got what I came for, so now y’all gotta get what y’all came for!”
Easy walked through the front door and waved his hands in the air. “Yo, what the fuck is y’all in here screamin’ for? I could hear y’all halfway down the block.”
“Pops, I was telling ‘em that I’m done wit’ the game, and that it’s time for me to move forward,” Sonny explained.
Easy glanced around and took an assessment of everyone’s facial expressions. “So, how y’all feel about that?”
Egypt spoke up and said, “On some all the way gee shit, I tip my hat to the big homie. I just don’t know how we supposed to eat without him. It’s like damn, what the fuck is we supposed to do now?”
“What is y’all supposed to do?” Sonny snapped, then reached inside one of the duffle bags and pulled out a brick. “This is what the fuck y’all are supposed to do, get money.” He tossed the brick to Egypt, and then reached inside of the other duffle bag and pulled out a brick of money. “I’m givin’ all of y’all 10 bricks and a $100,000 a piece! If y’all can’t bubble from here, then y’all ain’t got no business bein’ in the mu’fuckin’ game.”
The room became silent as they sat there staring at him. Easy was thinking about resurrecting his glory days. Egypt and Zaire were imagining themselves driving around the city in twin Bentleys. Breeze and Nasty were fantasizing about becoming their own bosses, and Sheed was thinking that Sonny was going out like a sucka.
Sonny held out his arms. “Damn, what y’all ain’t got nothin’ to say?”
They all started laughing and took turns hugging him, but Sheed just sat there giving him the icegrill. Sonny noticed his demeanor and addressed him, “Damn nigga, what the fuck is up wit’ you?”
“Yo, y’all niggas is buggin’!” Sheed snapped, and then pointed his index finger in Sonny's face. “Ya nut ass is sittin’ here talking ‘bout leavin' the game, and the rest of these niggas don’t care about nothing except money. You niggas is actin’ like we aIn’t in the middle of a mu’fuckin' war! What, y’all think that just because we dropped couple of bodies that this shit is over? Fuck no, this shit ain’t over! Them niggas is probably plottin’ on us right now! Man, y’all niggas ain’t geed up! Y’all niggas is pussies!”
Sonny snapped. “Hold up, nigga! First of all, you better watch ya fuckin’ mouth! Secondly,” he leaned across the table and pointed his index finger back in Sheed’s face, “out of all people, you think I don’t know what time it is nigga? You think I don’t wanna win this war and avenge the murder of my big fuckin’homie?”
Sheed jumped to his feet and stormed toward the front door. He grabbed the door knob, and then turned back around to address the niggas that he loved and would’ve died for.
“Yo, I can’t believe y’all niggas! Y’all niggas don’t care about Mook! If I gotta park these niggas by myself, then that’s what it is!”
He stormed out the house and slammed the door behind him. Sonny got up to follow him, but Easy stopped him in his tracks.
“Let him go, Sontino. He’s hurtin’ right now. Just give him some time to cool off.”
Sonny looked at his father, and then looked at the faces of the men sitting around the table. He fully understood where Easy was coming from, but in his heart he could feel that something bad was about to happen.
Chapter Twenty-Two
When Sonny left the block, the only thing he could think about was Sheed. He tried calling him, but all he got was his voice mail. As he cruised through the Bad Landz, he saw the hood for what it really was, an ongoing cycle of struggle and deception. He thought about the past six months of his life and how it had drastically changed. He thought about Mook and Saleena, and his eyes began to water. Although he was sitting on $1,300,000, he swore that he would give it all up just to see them breathe again. As he was caught up in his thoughts, the LCD screen on his iPhone illuminated; alerting him that he had an incoming call.
“Yo.”
“What’s up, boo? Can you talk right now?”
“Daph?” He questioned the identity of the caller.
“Yeah, it’s me. I need to talk to you.”
He sighed. “Damn, Daph, you know I can’t be fuckin’ wit’ you like that.”
“I know, but I really need to see you. Can you meet me somewhere?”
“Yeah, I can do that. Where are you at?”
“I’m on 25th and Master.”
“A’ight.” He took a deep breath and sighed. “You know the halal restaurant on Ridge Ave?”
“You talking ‘bout Mom and Me’s?”
“Yeah, meet me there in fifteen minutes.”
*****
Two Cars Behind...
Detective Smith was following Sonny’s Escalade, and talking to Grip on his cell phone. “Mr. Moreno, I’m two cars behind him. Should I pull him over, or do you want me to keep following him?”
“No Smitty, don’t pull him over. Just keep following him, and see where he takes you. The second he stops give me a call, and I’ll tell you what to do from there,” Grip instructed from the back seat of his pearl white Mercedes Maybach.
“Whatever you say, Mr. Moreno. You’re the boss!”
“That’s right, Smitty. I am the boss, and you better never forget that!”
*****
When Sonny pulled up in front of the halal restaurant, he spotted Daphney’s Porsche Panamara, and parked directly behind it. He turned off the engine, and stepped out into the cold January weather. As soon as he walked through the front door of the restaurant, the aroma of fried catfish made his stomach do cartwheels. He looked to his left and smiled when he saw her sitting by the wall sipping on a bottle of Akbar juice. They locked eyes and he walked toward her.
“What’s up, beautiful? You good?”
“I’m a’ight,” she answered in a soft voice. “I’m not gon’ beat around the bush, so I’ma come right out and tell you. I’m pregnant.”
Her words caught him off guard. He immediately thought about the times that they had unprotected sex, and then shook his head in disappointment.
“Well, I guess you’re tellin’ me this because it’s my baby, huh?”
She didn’t respond.
“Yo’, you know I’m ‘bout to get married, right? How the fuck I’m ‘posed to tell my wife I got another chick pregnant at the same time that she’s pregnant?”
“I don’t know, boo boo, but whether you like it or not, I’m keepin’ my baby. I would love for you to be there for us, but if not,” she shrugged her shoulders, “fuck it. I’ve got my own money.”
“Hold up, ma, pump ya breaks! I ain’t said nothin’ about not bein’ there for y’all. At the same time, it ain’t like you was my girl, so how do I know if the baby’s even mine?”
“Pussy, whatchu callin’ me a hoe?”
“Naw, I ain’t callin’ you nothin’. I’m just sayin’.”
“Fuck you, Sontino!” She started crying. “Nigga, I fell in love w
it’ you! I did shit for you that I woulda never done for another nigga, and you really gonna sit here and try to play me?”
She got up from the table and started to leave, but he reached out and gently grabbed her by the arm. “Hold up Daph, I’m sorry. Can you please sit back down?”
She did as he asked, and with tears pouring from her eyes, she asked him, “Why would you disrespect me like that?”
“My bad.” He slowly shook his head from side to side. “I know you’re a good girl, and I shoulda never said no shit like that,” he responded while wiping the tears from her face.
“Sontino, do you love me?”
“If I said that I didn’t, I’d be lyin’ to you. You’re everything that I ever wanted in a woman, and between you and Riri,” he paused for a moment. “I don’t know what I’ma do.”
She looked at him, and her facial expression was beyond serious. “Listen, I knew you had a girl from the rip, so I’m not gon’ do nothin’ to come in between that. All I want is a part of your heart that’s exclusively for me. I mean damn, at the end of the day, is that too much to ask for?”
“Naw, that not too much, but at the same time I need you to understand that I gotta do everything I can to protect Riana’s feelings. Shorty been down for a nigga since day one, and to keep it real wit’ you, I can’t see myself livin’ without her.”
As they continued their conversation, Riana and Erika walked through the front door. “Girl, I can’t believe I’m havin’ a boy!” Riana beamed as they approached the counter. “Sontino’s gonna be happy as shit!”
“I know that’s right,” Erika replied, while examining the large menu that hung from the ceiling. “So, what are you try’na order? I think I’ma get me some roasted lamb and wild rice.”
Riana looked up at the menu, and selected fish fried rice and cornbread.
After a ten minute wait, the slim Muslim sister who worked at the register handed them their food on two separate trays. They walked toward the other side of the restaurant where the tables and booths were situated, and the first thing that caught their attention was the site of Sonny and Daphney sitting in the far corner. Daphney was smiling at him from ear to ear, and he was caressing her hand. Riana was livid. She stormed toward the table and threw her hot tray of food at Sonny's head.
“Yo, what the fuck?” He snapped, while leaping from the table. He turned to look at the culprit, and when he saw Riana standing there crying, his heart damn near jumped out of his chest.
“Pussy, I knew you was fuckin’ this bitch!” Riana screamed as she got up in his face. She mugged him, and then turned her attention to Daphney. “Bitch, if I wasn’t pregnant, I’d fuck you up!”
Daphney got up to confront Riana, but Sonny held her back. “You better calm the fuck down! You know y’all can’t be fighting!”
Erika sat her tray on the table and quickly removed her diamondstudded earrings. “Ahn ahn Sonny let her go! I’m a trash the shit out this bitch,” she shouted, and then swung a wild punch, missing Daphney’s face by inches.
Daphney swung back, but because Sonny was holding her, she missed her target. Riana threw a punch of her own, but she missed Daphney and hit Sonny on his right shoulder.
“Hey, yo, Riri, calm the fuck down!” He shouted. “It’s not whatchu think. She’s Mook’s cousin.”
She folded her arms across her chest, and shifted her weight to her right hip. “Now, what the fuck that gotta do wit’ you sittin’ here holdin’ this bitch’s hand? Pussy, you must think I’m stupid.”
“I’m sayin’, though, she’s Mook’s cousin and my real estate agent. She’s the one that helped us get the house, and we was talkin’ about findin’ a location for my sport’s bar,” he lied.
After hearing Sonny’s excuse, Daphney grabbed her Marc Jacobs bag off of the floor, and stormed out of the restaurant. He looked at her through the window and shook his head as she climbed in her Panamara.
Riana slapped him back to attention.
Whack!
“Pussy, look at me when I’m talkin’ to you! As a matter of fact, fuck this shit! Come on, Erika, let’s go!”
As he attempted to follower her out of the restaurant a, short middle aged Muslim brother approached him, and said, “I don’t know what’s goin’ on, ahk, but you need to leave my establishment.”
“Damn, my bad, ol’ head.” He reached inside of his pocket and pulled out a thick wad of bills. After counting out $300, he handed over the money. “Here, take this for ya trouble, and if it ain’t too much to ask, can I use ya bathroom real quick so I can clean myself up?”
The Muslim brother nodded his head. “Yeah, but make it quick.” He then ordered one of his employees to clean up the mess.
As he headed toward the men’s room, Detective Smith entered the restaurant and followed him.
“Yo, this shit is crazy,” he said to himself, while looking in the mirror and wiping the fish fried rice off of his cream colored Chanel For Men’s sweater.
As he turned on the water faucet, an older white man entered the bathroom with a cell phone clutched in his left hand. He looked out the corner of his eye and noticed that a badge was hanging from the man’s neck, so he quickly adjusted his sweater to conceal the ACP that was tucked in the small of his back.
Detective Smith positioned himself by the door and smiled at him. “Well, if it isn’t the prince of the friggin’ city!”
“Excuse me,” Sonny replied. “I think you got me confused wit’ somebody else.”
Detective Smith continued smiling. “I don’t think so, Sontino. I know exactly who you are. Actually, I know everything about you,” he stated while walking toward him.
“Oh, yeah! So what, I’m under arrest or somethin’?” He asked in a cocky voice.
“No, you’re not under arrest, well at least not yet.”
“Not yet? What the fuck is that supposed to mean?”
Detective Smith stopped smiling and his face became serious. “Damn, that’s right. You’re grandfather told me you were an arrogant sonofabitch!”
In the blink of an eye, Sonny pulled the .45 ACP from the small of his back and aimed it at Smitty’s face. “What the fuck you just say?”
“Whoa, wait a minute. You can’t kill a cop!” Smitty protested with his hands raised in a defenseless posture.
Sonny gritted his teeth, and then cocked back the top of his pistol.
Click! Clack!
“What, you’re workin’ for Grip?”
“Listen, Sontino, just calm down. There’s a gang of witnesses on the other side of this door, and if you shoot me, you’ll spend the rest of your life on death row. Don’t be stupid. Just take it easy and put the friggin’ gun down.”
“Yo, what the fuck do you want from me, dawg?"
“Here,” Detective Smith held out the cell phone. “You’re grandfather wants to talk to you.”
Sonny snatched the phone and held it to his ear. “Nigga, what the fuck you want?”
“I want my grandson to take his rightful position at the head of my family,” Grip’s deep raspy voice eased through the phone. “So far, you haven’t disappointed me, and I must say, throughout our minor misunderstanding, the ruthless approach that you’ve taken has me extremely proud. I’m more than confident that you have enough of my blood running through you’re veins to not only maintain the status of my family, but to take it to the next level. All you have to do is make the right decision, and I can guarantee you that you’ll receive everything that your hand calls for."
As Sonny listened to Grip’s logic, all he could do was shake his head in disbelief. This nigga killed my big homie. He chopped his head off and sent it to me. Now he’s got the nerve to ask me to take over his so called family.
Grip continued, “I heard the news about your father, and it didn’t surprise me. I mean, after all, just like you, he is a Moreno. I knew it would only be a matter of time before he got his shit together, and now that he does, it’s time for the three of us to come tog
ether as a family. Just think about it Sontino, that’s three generations of greatness. Three generations of gangsters. Three generations of Morenos!”
Sonny laughed. “Hey, yo’ dig this, I know what this is about. This is about me puttin’ that pressure on ya ol’ ass, and now you try’na wave the peace flag, talkin’ this grandpop/grandson shit. Yo, you’s a funny mu’fucka.”
“Are you serious? That’s whatchu call pressure? Killing Biggs, Smack, and a couple of nobodies that I’ve never even seen before. The only reason that you and your little dirtyass crew is alive right now is because I allow it. Now, since you wanna talk about pressure, I’m a show your little ass the meaning of pressure!” Grip shouted through the phone.
“Oh, yeah, well I’ll tell you what, nigga, suck my dick!” Sonny yelled through the receiver, and then threw the phone against the bathroom wall. He looked at Detective Smith with a menacing stare, holstered his .45, and left the bathroom.
Chapter Twenty-Three
When Sonny returned to his house in Cheltenham, Pennsylvania, the garage doors were open, and he could see that Riana's Tahoe was gone. He walked inside of the house, and headed straight for their bedroom. “Damn,” he said to himself. The room was ransacked as if the house had been burglarized. Ironically, all of the items that appeared to be missing belonged to Riana. The only thing in the room that was still in place was their kingsized bed. He looked closely and saw a single sheet of paper lying on her pillow. He picked it up and saw that it was a letter addressed to him.
Sontino,
I can’t believe that after everything we’ve been through, you would lie to me and disrespect me like that. I fuckin’ trusted you. I loved you and was always there for you, and this is how you do me? I’m carrying your fuckin’ child, and you’re out here runnin’ around with the next bitch. I’m done! I left your engagement ring on the top shelf in the closet, and I’m movin’ to Atlanta to live with my dad. Don’t call me, and don’t bother try’na find me. It’s over!
