The Block

by Treasure Hernandez

Maine ducked down when he heard gunshots coming from some kind of machine gun ringing out. He quickly hit the ground when he saw members from his crew dropping like flies. Once the shots finished ringing out, he quickly pulled out his .380 and sent two shots through the passenger door.

  Before the car pulled off, Maine quickly hopped up to his feet in a wide-legged stance, his two hands on his gun, and fired off about seven shots. He watched four bullets rip through the back window. As the black car disappeared, he was hoping he’d caught a head or two.

  “We just came from Mario’s crib, and somebody left that nigga stretched out in the kitchen,” a worker reported.

  “Get the fuck outta here!” Ice-T said, not believing what he’d just heard. “Say word?”

  “Word to everything,” the worker said seriously.

  “Muthafucka!” Ice-T grabbed his phone and dialed Detective Abraham’s number. The detective had just crossed the line, pissing Ice-T off.

  “Yeah,” he answered in an uninterested tone.

  “What the fuck is up?” Ice-T yelled. “I thought we had a deal. How you just gon’ go and off my man Mario?”

  “He was outta line, so he had to be dealt with.”

  “Mario was making me a lot of money, and now you just fucked that all up!”

  “First of all, watch your fuckin’ tone when you speak to me,” Detective Abraham began. “Second of all, I don’t give a fuck about how you feel about Mario. He wasn’t shit but a worker anyway.”

  “So it’s like that?” Ice-T asked.

  “Just like that.”

  “Yeah, a’ight,” Ice-T said, ending the call. “Fuck! I can’t stand that crooked muthafucka!” He threw his glass up against the wall.

  “Get Nut on the phone and tell him I said to get over here right now!” Ice-T ordered. It was time to show Detective Abraham who really ran the streets.

  An hour later Nut showed up to Ice-T’s crib. “Yo, these niggas gon’ have to go!”

  “What is you talking about?” Ice-T asked.

  “That nigga Maine shot my sister in the fuckin’ leg. He gotta go, point-blank.”

  “Well, today must be your fuckin’ lucky day.” Ice-T smiled. “They just had Mario killed too.”

  “You see what I’m talking about?” Nut said, clearly frustrated. “Fuck that! I’m ready to go to war.”

  “Gather up some goons and take out that punk-ass detective first. Then you can do whatever the fuck you want with Maine.” Ice-T was sick of Detective Abraham’s shit, and he wasn’t just going to sit there and let the man do whatever he wanted, just ’cause he was the police.

  “About fuckin’ time!” Nut huffed as he exited the house so he could get things in motion.

  “Let the games begin,” Ice-T said to himself, firing up another blunt.

  “I see ain’t shit change since I been gone,” Harlem said, happy to finally be released from jail.

  Young Mike reminded him, “Nigga, you was only gone for six punk-ass months.”

  “Well, that shit felt like forever.” Harlem poured himself a cup of Henny. He was so happy to finally be home, and not having to be told what to do and when to do it no more. “So have them stickup kids been back around since I clapped one of ’em up?”

  “Yeah, like once or twice, but they been kinda quiet lately.” Young Mike was hoping they got the message and didn’t come back again. “I don’t know what the fuck they up to.”

  “They must’ve heard I’m out now,” Harlem said, and the two busted out laughing.

  “Nah, but I don’t know what’s up with them fools. They probably got locked up.” Just then, Young Mike noticed Maine walking in their direction.

  “What’s good, li’l niggas?” Maine said, giving both men dap. “What’s good for tonight?”

  Young Mike still wasn’t feeling Maine after how the two men had gotten into it. “Shit, we just chilling, getting our sip on.”

  “Fuck that! Let’s get into something tonight,” Maine said excitedly.

  “Nah, I just came home today,” Harlem told him. “I’ma just chill for the night.”

  “Y’all niggas always acting like some bitches!” Maine walked off mad ’cause Harlem and Young Mike just wanted to chill in the hood for the night.

  “Somebody gon’ kill that nigga one of these days.” Young Mike shook his head at how ignorant Maine could be at times for no reason.

  “Li’l bitch-ass niggas,” Maine huffed as he slid in his Yukon.

  With nothing else to do, Maine decided to go to a strip club and enjoy himself. He pulled up across the street from the strip club and let the engine die. Before he got out the truck, he put the money he planned on spending aside from his regular money.

  Maine walked up to the front door and was immediately patted down.

  “Fam, you can’t come in here with that!” the bouncer said, nodding toward the gun in his waist.

  “Come on, son, I ain’t gon’ shoot nobody,” Maine pleaded.

  “Doesn’t matter,” the bouncer said, shaking his head no. “No hammers allowed inside.”

  “Fuck!” Maine cursed as he headed back to his truck to drop off his hammer.

  Maxine sat in the back of the strip club with a bottle of Hennessy on her table and a stripper with a super-fat ass on her lap. “So what you doing later?”

  “Depends on what you trying to do later,” the stripper said in a seductive tone. She licked her lips. She wasn’t really into the girl-on-girl thing, but was willing to make an exception if the money was right.

  “I’m trying to get you home with me,” Maxine said, rubbing and squeezing on the stripper’s ass.

  The stripper ran her fingers through Maxine’s hair. “As long as you willing to pay how you weigh, then we won’t have a problem.”

  “Money ain’t nothing, ma,” Maxine said, flashing a big knot of money.

  “What time you get off?”

  “In about three more hours.” The stripper made her ass clap in Maxine’s face, getting her even more excited.

  “A’ight, that’s a bet.” Maxine smiled as she sprinkled some singles on the stripper’s ass before giving it a smack.

  After Maine finished getting patted down for the second time, he was finally allowed to enter the club.

  Maine smiled when he saw all the exotic half-naked women floating around the place. “Damn! Just what the fuck I needed.” He walked over to a small table and helped himself to a seat.

  When the waitress finally came over to him, he ordered a bottle of Hennessy and a Pepsi. After he placed his order, a dark-skinned stripper quickly invaded his space.

  “What’s a fine-ass man doing sitting over here all by himself?” she asked.

  “Just scoping the place out.” Maine was straining his neck to see how fat the stripper’s ass was. “What’s your name, ma?”

  “Almond Joy,” she answered, running her hands down his chest. “Can I give you a lap dance?” she whispered in Maine’s ear, making sure she licked his earlobe before bringing her head back.

  “Yeah, bring that big fat ass over here,” Maine said, both of his hands on her hips.

  The waitress returned with his bottle of Hennessy and Pepsi.

  “Good looking, ma. Bring me back three hundred singles,” Maine said, handing her three hundred-dollar bills.

  “You sure you can handle all of this?” Almond Joy bent all the way over, shaking and bouncing her big fat ass all in Maine’s face.

  Maine poured himself a drink, and just as he was about to take a sip, he looked up and saw Maxine sipping over in the corner, looking like a man, all up in some stripper’s ear like some headphones. Get the fuck outta here! He smiled, not believing his eyes. He immediately pulled out his cell phone and called Young Mike.

  On the third ring, he picked up.

  “No,” Young Mike answered, “didn’t change my mind. I don’t feel like partying.”

  “Fuck all that, nigga! You and Harlem get down to the strip club we went to for your birthd
ay!” Maine said with authority. “That bitch Maxine is down here by HERSELF!”

  “A’ight, we on our way right now.”

  “Hurry the fuck up, and call me when y’all outside.”

  “I got you,” Young Mike said, ending the call.

  “Damn, daddy! You wanna talk on the phone, with all this pussy in your face,” Almond Joy said, gyrating her hips.

  “My bad. Had to take of some business real quick.” Maine put his cell phone back in his pocket. “Now show me what you working with,” he said, never taking his eyes off Maxine.

  “Gimme a second.” Almond Joy held up one finger as she walked over and tapped another dancer on her shoulder. She returned and introduced her friend Sparkle.

  Before Maine could even say hi, Almond Joy and Sparkle started kissing and feeling on one another.

  Maine watched the two strippers make out right before his eyes. “That’s what the fuck I’m talking about.”

  Sparkle, her legs spread wide open, sat on a chair right next to Maine, while Almond Joy squatted down and began eating her pussy like it was the last supper.

  Maine sat back and enjoyed his front row seat. He sprinkled singles all over Sparkle’s and Almond Joy’s head as they performed.

  Just as the show ended, Maine felt his phone vibrating. “Yooo,” he answered.

  “Yo, we outside,” Young Mike said.

  “A’ight. I’ma get the bitch to come outside, so be on point.” Maine hung up. “A yo, ma,” he called out.

  Sparkle came over toward Maine, a sexy smile on her face. “What’s up?”

  “I gotta get up outta here, but I definitely need your number before I go.” Maine handed her his cell phone.

  Sparkle took his phone and quickly punched in her contact info inside the phone. “And you better call me too!” she said, as she seductively turned and walked over toward another john.

  Maine took one more look at her ass jiggling as she walked off. Then he locked her number in his phone and downed the rest of his drink. “Yeah, I’ma tear that pussy up,” he said to himself as he stood up and headed over to where Maxine was sitting.

  Maxine was so busy rubbing all over the stripper, she didn’t even see Maine approaching her. Maine walked right up to her, cocked back, and punched Maxine in the face, the impact from the blow causing Maxine’s chair to tip over as she hit the floor.

  “Think you can get away with robbing me, you filthy bitch!” Maine growled as he rained blow after blow on Maxine’s exposed face. He then got up and started stomping her out, until a big bouncer came and tackled him to the ground.

  “Get the fuck off me! I’ma kill this bitch!” Maine yelled as he struggled to break free from the bouncer’s grip.

  By now four big bouncers had him restrained, as people helped Maxine up to her feet.

  “You a dead man,” she said with a bloody smile. “You and your whole crew,” she huffed, jerking her arms free. “Let me go. I’m fine.”

  Maxine exited the club. “Muthafuckas wanna play?” she said to herself as she power-walked to her car. She had an Uzi in her trunk and planned on letting off every single round, once she got her hands on it.

  Just as she got close to her car, she heard multiple footsteps coming behind her. She quickly spun around, only to see two men wearing hoodies staring her down. She looked down and saw that both men were strapped.

  “Aint this a bitch!” Maxine took a deep breath. She pulled out a cigarette, put it to her mouth, and lit it. A tear escaped from her eye. Right then and there, she knew she was about to die. “You know my boy Gruff gonna find y’all mufuckas, right?”

  Young Mike sucked his teeth. “Fuck Gruff!” He raised his pistol and sent three hot slugs through her chest.

  Once she hit the pavement, Harlem stood over her body and put two in her head. “Stupid-ass bitch!” he said, and him and Young Mike quickly fled the scene.

  When Maine and the rest of the people in the club heard the gunshots, they all quickly ran out the club to see what just went down.

  A smile quickly spread across Maine’s face when he saw Maxine laid out in the middle of the street. “One down and one more to go,” he said to himself, and he smoothly walked off to his car, feeling good with himself.

  Chapter 15

  “Damn! That shit was mad good.” Detective Abraham rubbed his stomach, as him and Tom exited the soul food restaurant.

  “Yeah, that was pretty good. I must say so myself,” Tom replied, trying to be down. “So what we gonna do about this Ice Cube mufucka?”

  “You mean Ice-T,” Detective Abraham corrected him.

  “Whatever the fuck his name is, you know who I’m talking about,” Tom said in a drunken slur.

  “Well, basically, we about to start running down on him and let him know that we still run shit,” Detective Abraham said. “Harass him a li’l, bust his balls here and there, just to show him who’s really in charge.”

  “You know I’m down.” Tom slipped a cigarette between his lips. He didn’t like black people, so to him it really didn’t matter.

  “Come on, let’s go fuck with some of his peoples right now,” Detective Abraham said as they headed for the car.

  Just as Detective Abraham reached the passenger side door, he saw a van pull up alongside the car. Immediately, the back door slid open, and inside he saw a van full of niggas with red flags covering their faces.

  Detective Abraham quickly ducked down as he heard about eight to nine different guns going off at the same time. “What the fuck!” he said in a panic, pulling out his .44.

  Right after the gunfire ended, and Detective Abraham heard the tires on the van burning rubber as it pulled off. He stood to his feet and walked around the car and saw Tom laid out with about twenty holes in his body. He then turned and looked at the driver’s side door, and it looked like Swiss cheese.

  “These muthafuckas wanna play,” he said, looking down at Tom’s dead bullet-filled body. “I promise, I’ma make them pay for this.”

  Serena sat on the couch sipping on some wine, the cordless phone sitting right next to her. Every day Tone called her at the same time. Right on cue, the phone rang, and she picked it up on the second ring. “Hey, baby,” she sang happily.

  “What is my sexy-ass woman doing right now?” Tone asked.

  Serena could see him smiling through the phone. “Sitting by the phone, waiting for my daddy to call me.”

  “Damn! I know you looking sexy, right,” Tone said, licking his lips.

  “I’ma take some pictures for you tonight and send them out to you tomorrow.” Serena knew that the smallest thing meant so much in jail, so she planned on doing whatever she had to do to keep her man happy and focused.

  “I can’t wait. What you getting into today?”

  “Well, right now I’m waiting for Maine to swing by and drop off some money. Then I’ma probably go get my hair done.”

  “Listen, I don’t just want you sitting around the house. Why don’t you go out and get some air tonight?”

  “Nah, that’s not really my flow. I like just chilling. I might go back home next week for a few days and go visit my father and the rest of my family.”

  “Sound good to me. Just keep me posted on your whereabouts. Don’t just want you sitting around wasting your life ’cause I’m not around.”

  “You got it, daddy,” Serena said as she heard the automatic recording say, “You have one minute remaining.”

  “Do what you gotta do, and I’ma holla back tomorrow.”

  “Okay, baby, be careful in there. I love you so much!”

  “I love you too, baby. I’ma scream at you later,” Tone said, ending the conversation.

  As soon as Serena hung up the phone, she heard somebody knocking at her door. “Who is it?” she yelled, walking toward the front door. Serena looked through the peephole and saw Maine standing on the other side of the door.

  “Hey, Maine,” she said, stepping to the side so he could enter. “What’s up?”r />
  “What’s good? How you been?”

  “Everything been good. I can’t complain.”

  “That’s what’s up.” Maine handed her a book bag. “That’s the re-up and y’all’s profit in there.”

  “Thanks. I’ll be sure to let Tone know everything is straight.” Serena peeked inside the book bag.

  “A’ight, if you need anything, holla at me.” And Maine turned and headed for the door.

  Once Maine left, Serena got dressed and headed out the door. She needed to get her hair, feet, and eyebrows done. Her first stop was the hair salon.

  Serena stepped inside the salon, and the first person she saw was Mya. It just so happened that all the other beauticians were already busy with a client.

  “You need your hair done?” Mya asked, standing behind her chair.

  “Yes, I need my hair done, but I’m telling you right now—If you fuck my hair up, we going to have a serious problem!” Serena said, rolling her eyes.

  “Girl, sit in this chair. Ain’t nobody going to mess up your hair. I’m a professional.”

  “I hope so.” Serena sat on the chair.

  “So what can I do for you?”

  “Just a wash and set.”

  “So how is Tone holding up in there?” Mya asked, as she began working on Serena’s hair. Even though the two of them weren’t still together, she still did care for him and often found herself worrying about him.

  “He’s fine. Just hanging in there.”

  For the rest of the time, the two women just chitchatted and got to know one another. By the time Serena’s hair was finished, she had a new friend.

  Ice-T stood on the porch of his hangout house just chilling with about fifteen soldiers all wearing something but red. “Damn! It’s hot as fuck out here,” he said, removing his shirt and exposing his cut-up abs and all the tattoos that covered his body. He fired up a blunt as he saw Nut and about six soldiers strolling to the porch.

  “What’s good? How things went out there?” Ice-T asked.

  Nut told him, “We dropped one cop and sent a crazy loud message.”