Money Is King: The Complete Series

by Nicety

  “Naw, I really don’t know you like that. All I know is that you needed a job and my wife spoke highly of you for some reason. That’s all I know. Oh yeah, and that you’ve been fucking her ho ass sister for a few years.” Yolo sneered as if he thought he was scaring me.

  I wasn’t scared, not even in the least bit. Truth be told, I just wanted him to wake up and see that this bitch behind him had been brainwashing his ass and playing on his emotion. He was all riled up for no good reason because everything that she told him was a lie and the fact that he was still asking me questions rather than trying to hit me in my jaw let me further know that deep down inside he felt she was playing him too.

  A part of me wanted to leap across the room and kick that bitch dead in her forehead. She was standing there with the silliest little smirk on her face while eyeing my gear like she wanted to rip off every name brand thing I had on and sell it for profit. That’s the kind of gold digging skank she was. I didn’t appreciate her trying to frame me and cause a rift between Yo and me. But either way she was going to pay for what she was doing even if I had to put a bullet in her brain to stop that ho myself.

  “Listen Cesar, I just think you need to come clean and tell us all what you really did to Flava last night.” Mink’s expression grew serious like she really gave a damn. “Tell us what you did to my sister asshole!”

  She began to yell. It wasn’t enough that this bitch was accusing me of sleeping with Flava but now she was accusing me of attempted murder too. I just got out of jail for some shit like this and now she’s trying to send a nigga back all because I quit her ass and found somebody new. I knew she was a worthless, trifling piece of shit but it wasn’t until right now that I realized to what extent. She was always a person who was only out for herself but her revenge was one for the record books. All I could do was stand there and laugh. I laughed so hard that I could see the disrespect Yolo felt in his eyes as he squinted trying to figure out when the hell I was going to answer the damn question.

  “I’m not about to answer that bullshit. Mink you really need your ass whooped for this shit girl. Mark my words, somebody is gonna put a bullet in your ass girl; for real.” I laughed taking everything in my being not to reach through Yolo and strangle her ass dead.

  “If someone does, it won’t be you. You need to be in someone’s jail cell rotting away for the rest of your life for what you did to my sister.” She said casually.

  “Oh bitch you don’t even give a damn about your sister. For all we know you could have done this shit to her!” I snapped feeling like I was allowing her to get up out of my calm element. “I’m not gonna let you knock me off my square.”

  “Then let me help you. If I find out you’ve been fucking my wife, I swear boy, I’ll fucking kill you.” Yolo snarled walking up into my face.

  By now I was becoming heated at all this bullshit. It seemed like he wanted to believe her more than he trusted me not to do some shit like that to him. I’m not gonna lie it hurt like hell that this nigga could call me his brother one minute and the next claim that I fucked and shot his wife. I wanted to punch his ass in the jaw in hopes that it would help wake him up to the fact that he was allowing some hoe to manipulate him into thinking some stupid shit like that.

  "Man, Yolo. You can think what you want but I'm telling you, you gon' feel like a damn fool when you find out your ass is wrong." I said trying to evade any further talk, walking over to view Flava's body.

  "Aye bro. Get the fuck away from her. Don't you think you've done enough?" Yolo said pulling on my dark blue tee damn near yanking the collar so hard that he choked me.

  "Dude don't fucking lose your mind grabbing me like that; for real." I could feel the adrenaline rise to my throat wanting to burst through my veins and out on his face.

  "Lil' nigga ain't nobody scared of you. You better get your mind right homie." Yolo replied jumping on tough mode and laughing like I was cracking jokes and not threats.

  I ignored him. If he was looking for a fight he wasn't going to find it right here. I wasn't in the mood nor was I about to scrap over some shit I know I didn't do. The person who did need her ass whooped though was too busy playing the fake caring sister leaning over Flava's body examining it closely. My upper lip curled every time I glanced up at her weak ass hoping my eyes could burn through the space where her soul should be.

  "Yo, I didn't come here for this shit. I came here to pay my respects to Flava. Alright? So you can save all that shit cause ain't nobody trying to hear it." My voice was as calm as a cool ocean breeze.

  I stood toe to toe with that dude and almost nose to nose so that he would know there wasn't an ounce of bitch in this tall chocolate body. His breath had the faint smell of a sweet smelling liquor I couldn't put my finger on but it helped me to better understand why Yolo was so easily influenced by this tramp. He was inebriated. Heavily.

  "Yo, I'm only gonna be nice about this shit for so much longer. Now don't put your hands on me." I laughed turning back towards Flava.

  "Cesar you need to recognize who the fuck you talking to." He retorted.

  I waved him off headed back towards Flava leaning over viewing how desecrated her body was. Someone had fucked her up big time and I wish I knew who it was so I could fill their lungs with blood and watch them struggle to breath, gasping for air like a fish out of water. I felt bad for shawty. She didn't deserve no shit like this. It shouldn't have been her hooked up to tubes and struggling to hold on to life, it should have been her weak ass sister. Mink had no right to walk the earth healthy and sound. She needed to be taking a dirt nap with her ancestors before her. I leaned in tenderly giving Flava a sweet forehead kiss, praying for her speedy recovery.

  "Praying for you sis." I whispered before standing back up.

  "Muthafucka didn't I tell you not to touch her?" Yolo roared meeting me on the side of the bed with a fist.

  He's lucky I didn't see it coming cause he got his one shot off on me. Before I knew it, I had grabbed him by his expensive collared button down and hemmed him up against the back wall on the other side of the room. I didn’t want to accidentally hit Flava or the machines that were keeping her alive. It was crazy to me that this nigga would even remotely pull some shit like this in the room with her like this, laying basically on her deathbed.

  Yolo squatted down reaching for my legs trying to pick me up so that he could drop me on my back and stomp me but too many niggas tried to play an nigga like that when I had fights in the joint. That shit wasn’t going to down. I planted my feet firmly on the ground posting all of my weight on my legs then reached down pulling the buttons off his shirt just to get him back up to eye’s length.

  “Man, calm down, Yo! Yo ass is fucking trippin’ dude!” I yelled still tossing his ass into the wall.

  “You fucked Flava then you gonna try and take her away from me cause she ain’t want your bum ass no more!” He snapped sending another few blows to my jaw.

  What he failed to realize was that years of fighting niggas in the joint made my jaw an iron bar. None of that shit fazed me and even though Yolo was built packed with muscle, his bark was stronger than his bite. He had all that muscle and didn’t know how to use it. I was taming him like a wayward puppy gone crazy. It was funny to me his facial expression every time he hit me and I just stood there wondering when he was going to finally give up and quit making himself look like a damn fool.

  “You need to calm down boy!” I bellowed becoming tired of his wild seizure like movements.

  “Fuck you fun boy!” He scoffed back at me still swinging his arms.

  CRACK!

  The nigga got me in the eye good that time. It was on. I didn’t want to fight this dude but he had pushed my buttons for the last time. One by one I delivered blow after blow to his chest, stomach and lastly his face. I saved his face for last because while he’s broke up, clenching his middle he’s not even thinking about covering his face. Never leave your shit open. That’s what my dad used to tell me. Lucky
for me, I went to jail and developed a high threshold for pain. True, I would definitely feel the effects of this shit later but right now my adrenaline was pumping and I was like a God. Fearless.

  “Stop! Stop, Cesar you’re gonna kill him!” Mink yelled in the fakest voice ever as she ran to the door.

  “Bitch, get your ass back here!” I yelled back but it was too late.

  She had already gone out to the hallway to get help for us to stop fighting. I backed off Yolo breathing heavily while he sat upright on the floor touching his lip, checking for blood. His light skin was beginning to form bruise like blotches on his face that would soon turn into knots if he didn’t get some ice soon. I looked down at him peeling himself off the floor and felt badly that I had to whoop his ass for no reason. That’s what happened to drunk niggas that chose to listen to the word of some trick over his buddy. I reached down, extending my hand to help the man up off the floor. I never hated him, I still didn’t.

  “You cool now?” I asked as he reached up grabbing my hand to stand.

  Yolo wouldn’t speak, only shook his head in agreement that he was. I knew he was salty that he had just gotten his ass whooped so I wasn’t going to rub it in his face any longer. But I do know that if this was a different situation and he had a banger on him, I would’ve been a dead man by now, by the way that he fought, I could tell that he wasn’t the fighting type. He was a shoot first ask questions never type of nigga. So I guess I could credit the preservation of my life to the fact that the fight happened in a public arena.

  “What the hell happened in here?” A nurse asked entering the room seeing the chairs and medical tables in disarray.

  “Nothing it was just a small misunderstanding.” I huffed as two detectives entered the room behind Mink.

  “Do we have a problem here gentlemen?” One of the detectives asked flashing his badge in the process.

  “Yeah this muthafucka right here tried to kill Flava!” Yolo yelled still clenching his ribs and pointing in my face.

  “What? Man, I ain’t try to kill nobody! He’s fucking lying!” I snapped wishing I could reach across and punch Mink dead in the eye. “Yo, what’s wrong with you man?”

  “Okay y’all have to take that mess out of here because you are sending my patient into even more distress.” The light skinned nurse said popping her neck and throwing her finger around to scold everyone in the room.

  “Sir, I’m gonna need you to come on down to the station for questioning,” The detective said walking close up to my side.

  “Man, why the fuck should I go for questioning? We all need to go if that’s the case. I ain’t did shit wrong!” I snapped.

  “Sir, are we gonna do this the easy way or the hard way?” The other detective stepped in to assist his partner.

  I couldn’t believe this shit was happening all over again. Me, about to be in a fucking squad car headed to some crummy ass precinct with two dickhead cops that won’t believe shit that I have to say. My head hung low and shook in disbelief hoping and praying I get out of this shit so I could kill both of those muthafuckas and have a reason to go to jail for real. I wanted to slap that smirk off of Mink’s face as she went over to Yolo trying to aid him in patching up his wounds. The very thought of her face pissed me off to the core, my moms told me I was never supposed to hate anyone in life but I truly without a doubt hated this bitch.

  As I walked out the door, I reached in my pocket for my phone. I knew that this would probably be the last time that I would be able to reach out to somebody before they tried to take it so I had to make it count. My fingers couldn’t dial quick enough as I nonchalantly put the phone to my head.

  “Aye, I need your help. I need you to come to the hospital and find out what the fuck is going on up here. I need you to help clear my name. I’m on my way to the precinct with the police cause they think I shot Flava. You know that’s a damn lie. I know what you said earlier but I need your help.” I said as fast as I could.

  “What the fuck happened to Flava? Who shot her?”

  “I don’t know but that’s what I need you to find out. I need you to find that out before coming to the station and telling these goon head muthafuckas that I was with you all last night. I’m being framed for this shit.”

  “What hospital?”

  “Loyola University Medical Center in the ICU on the fourth floor. Aye, I think Mink got something to do with this shit too. You got me?” I said snarling as if she was standing before me.

  “I got you. I’m on my way.”

  Chapter 6— Lasha

  “I got you no doubt.” I breathed as I hung up the phone.

  My brain felt like it was in a tug of war with my heart. I wasn’t supposed to be straying from my plan but it wasn’t like I was not going to do it. It was just put on the back burner for a few hours while I went to handle this and get an innocent man out of jail. I couldn’t very well let Cesar go to jail for something I know he didn’t do. If he had done it, I could have easily written him off, no sweat. But because I knew he was innocent it would be on my conscience day and night if I allowed him to go down for some shit I knew I could have helped him with.

  On the road to the hospital, I slapped the steering wheel realizing I forgot to head to the house and get my stingers. That would have proved detrimental if I was there too long and could have let me go straight from there to Yolo’s house or the club. Wherever the hell he was. That man was not living past today even if it took every breath in my body to kill him.

  While driving, I blanked out for a minute. Back to nearly a year ago when my brother and I were playing our Xbox 360 in my room waiting on our parents to go out on their usual date night. I hadn’t even heard anyone come in the house. It was later told to me that the murderer walked past our bedrooms deciding to let us live because he saw that we were kids. He decided to let us live while he sneaked into the bathroom while my mother was taking a shower and slit her throat from ear to ear.

  I was the one that found her. She was holding her neck like she was gurgling for air trying to stop the bleeding before she finally succumbed to her wounds. I have always been a soft spoken young girl but on that night I was like a howling banshee as I screamed in horror for my poppa. When he came in the bathroom, he dropped to his knees in sheer terror. He grabbed my cheeks roughly looking me in my eyes with an anger I swear would frighten Satan himself. I had never been that scared of him before.

  “Who did this, mija? WHO?” He shouted.

  “I don’t know, poppa.” I cried silently. “I don’t know.”

  I gazed down into my mother’s face realizing that what everyone said was right. I did look like her even though I was far brighter than her. My poppa had a thing for Black women and found that the darker the berry the sweeter the juice was, at least that what he used to always say to her. She was a smoothed dark skinned ebony goddess who was cut up like a Christmas ham in my arms bleeding to death. My tears hit her lips gently coating them and as I watched the drops rotate across them all I could wish was that they would bring her back to life.

  Poppa quickly called for his goons to come before directing them to search the premises. The murderer hadn’t gotten far. My poppa locked the land down making sure that whoever he was, he wasn’t about to get away that easily. When they found him he had already put a bullet to his head in the middle of the field out back. I could hear my poppa yell ‘cut him up and send him back’, like he knew exactly who had done this. It wasn’t until after my mother’s funeral that I was told who ordered the hit, Yolo.

  He had gotten into it with poppa over a drug deal, not wanting to pay my poppa his fair share of the weight. He was trying to cut him out all together when my poppa was the middleman of his connects. Yolo was an unappreciative bastard whom from then on threatened to take out my poppa as long as he had breath in his body. His reign would end today.

  I snapped back into reality as I pulled up into the parking lot of Loyola Medical Center. I had never been here before so I thanke
d God for GPS as I parked the car and exited remembering the directions to Flava’s room that Cesar had quickly given me. The first floor of the hospital looked as if it was the calmest place in the world. The gift shop was small but adorable with balloons waving around on the outside of the door to signal its presence. The large oval help desk in the middle of the room held customer service agents that seemed very helpful and attentive as the smiled and greeted those that approached them. I walked past all of that and into a nearby waiting elevator.

  On the fourth floor, there was a little less happy ambiance than there was downstairs. For some reason there was a gloomy eerie feel hovering over everyone up here. Death seemed to imminent from each room I passed, the smell, the feel, it was all reminiscent of death. My eyes skimmed the room numbers of each room I passed waiting to find the one with her in it. Doctors shot around me with nurses following them as if there was death just around the corner. Each time they did so I prayed that it wasn’t her. I didn’t really know much about her but from what Cesar used to speak of her, she was a really nice person.