Tommy Brooks, the bar owner, walked over to Isaac with a nervous look on his face. “The police are on the way. Y’all need to get on out of here.”
Isaac looked from Valerie to Keith.
Valerie coughed up some blood.
Isaac knew she didn’t have much time left. “Get out of here, Keith.” He grabbed his friend’s hand and squeezed it. “I appreciate everything you did tonight. Go—take care of that gun.”
Although none of the women Isaac dated had ever been more special than Nina, Valerie had come pretty close. She’d been there for him in ways that no other woman had ever been. But in the end, she had died because she loved a hustler who didn’t know how to give love back. So, even though Ray-Ray died that night, Isaac had lost something special also. The game had taken so much from him, he just prayed that it wasn’t about to lay claims to his son as well.
Isaac stepped into Bobby-Ray’s trap house like he had paid the mortgage on the joint. Hustlers and geekers were sprawled out all around the room. He took his time, looking each person in the face and saying a silent prayer for each person as he passed them. The devil couldn’t hold the captives bound forever… not when the saints were praying.
“You looking for somebody?”
Isaac swung around and came face to face with Bobby-Ray. He knew it was him, because except for the excess weight, Bobby-Ray looked just like his father. “You’re the man I’m looking for. You and my son, that is,” Isaac told him.
“What do I have to do with your son?”
“You need to explain that to me. Because the way I got it, you’ve been telling my son stories that his ears were never meant to hear.”
With a sinister grin on his face, Bobby-Ray said, “I didn’t know that you being a murdering, thieving parasite was such a secret.”
“Where’s my son?” Isaac asked, ignoring the obvious taunt.
Bobby-Ray stood his ground. Kept smirking in Isaac’s face.
Isaac took a step closer. “Careful, young man. You only know what you heard about me, but I’m way more dangerous than that. Don’t make me prove it to you.”
Bobby-Ray swallowed the lump in his throat as he stepped aside and then pointed to a room in the back.
Isaac didn’t have anyone to watch his back like he did in the old days when he and Keith would roll up on hustlers and take care of business. But Isaac wasn’t worried because God had his back these days. He headed into the next room and immediately spotted his son handing a rock to a woman and then taking the money from her and putting it in his pocket. What Isaac saw turned his stomach. He had worked long and hard, just about moved heaven and earth to keep his son away from this kind of life.
When Isaac had been drafted into this life, it had been because he couldn’t think of any other way to make a quick buck. His mother and brother sat at home starving because his daddy was out drinking up all the money. So, Isaac had to make things happen. But even with all the advantages his son had, Ikee still wanted to be the dope man. The thought sent Isaac into a rage as he put holy hands on Ikee and knocked him against the filthy wall, which probably hadn’t been washed in years.
Isaac’s arm was against Ikee’s neck. He applied pressure, wanting to choke him out. Ikee desperately tried to claw the arm away, but Isaac would not be moved and Ikee was about to black out. “I’m only going to tell you this once,” Isaac said as he spoke in Ikee’s left ear. “I’m walking out of this god-awful place and driving home. When I get there my wife’s car had better be back in the garage.”
Chapter Five
“How did Ikee beat you home?” Nina asked Isaac as he walked through the door.
“He was motivated,” was all Isaac told her as he strode up the stairs. He grabbed a suitcase out of his and Nina’s walk-in closet. He then stalked over to Ikee’s door and swung it open without knocking.
“Hey man, this is my room,” Ikee said as he hopped off his bed.
“You don’t have a room in my house anymore.” Isaac threw the suitcase at him. “Pack your stuff.”
“Why I got to pack? Where am I supposed to go?”
Nina rushed to the room. “Isaac, what’s going on? You can’t just throw him out. He’s not even eighteen yet.” And besides, this was her baby.
“He’s a drug dealer, Nina. He can’t stay here because his very existence put you and the rest of our family at risk.” Isaac turned a cold stare on Ikee. “But you don’t care nothing about that, do you?”
“You trippin’. It’s not like I killed anybody. I’m just trying to flip a few dollars so I can buy my Mustang.”
“Ikee!” Nina hand went to her mouth as she shook her head. “Why would you need to do something like that? Your father and I provide everything you need.”
“You said that I had to get a car with the money I have or find a way to earn enough to get the car that I want.”
“We certainly never asked you to go sell drugs,” Nina declared, still very clearly devastated by the news she’d just received.
“How did you think I was going to get my Mustang then? Nobody here was going to help me. So, I had to get my hustle on. I don’t really don’t see the big deal. Dad sold drugs for years. That’s probably why we have this four-thousand-square-foot home and the cars.”
“First of all, you don’t have a four-thousand-square-foot home; me and your mom own this home and the cars and drug money didn’t buy any of it. Everything we have is because of the Lord’s mercy and grace. And I’m not about to allow a drug dealer to sully any of it.” Isaac pointed at the suitcase. “Make sure you only take shoes and clothes. That Xbox and your iPad stay here.”
Ikee picked up his cell phone and quickly called his sister. When she answered he started mouthing off, “Your daddy is throwing me out; can I crash over there until I can get a place of my own?”
Isaac snatched the phone from Ikee. He put it to his ear as he told Iona, “The only place your brother is going to end up in is a jail cell or a pine box. He’s a drug dealer, Iona. And he can’t stay at your house. I won’t allow him to put my grandchildren at risk.”
“But Daddy, he’s just a kid. Where’s he going to go if he can’t stay with family?”
“That’s for this little ninja to figure out. He wants to be a king pin, well maybe a dose of living on the streets will give him a good start so he can learn how to be hard and tough enough for his chosen career.” He hung up with Iona and then put Ikee’s iPhone in his pocket.
“I need that back,” Ikee told him as if he paid the bill.
“I guess you forgot that my name is on that Verizon bill. As I said before… only pack your shoes and clothes.” Isaac went into the bathroom and came out with Ikee’s toothbrush, he handed it to him. “You can take this too.”
“Is all this necessary, Isaac. He brought the car back. He’s home and he’s safe. Don’t send my baby out into this world like this. He’s not prepared yet.” All the concern Nina had for her son showed on her face.
Isaac wanted to pull his wife into his arms and assure her that everything would be all right. He wanted to tell her that this was only a test and that if things went the way he was hoping and praying, Ikee would never leave home again until he was on his way to his college dorm room. But he couldn’t say any of that. He had to remain strong and let Ikee know that he meant business. So, he turned to his wife and dealt some cold reality.
“You need to step back and let me handle this, Nina. Because if you continue to coddle this boy, he will get you killed, then have the nerve to cry all over your casket as if tears could change anything.
“If you and I had already been married when Donavan started hanging out with those thugs, I would have thrown him out too.” Isaac shook his head. “But what I’m not going to do is let another one of our kids bring anything to our doorstep that could bring harm to you. I know all about the life he’s craving. And I know exactly where he’s headed.”
“So stop him from craving such a life.” She was to the point of b
egging as tears spilled down her face.
Isaac shook his head. “I can’t. We just have to stand back and let him go, hon.”
Nina turned to Ikee. She looked like she wanted to say something. But she clamped her mouth shut and stumbled out of her son’s room.
“Mama… Mama,” Ikee called after her. “You just gon’ let him do me like this?”
Nina didn’t respond, but Isaac could hear the muffled sounds of his wife’s agony as she closed their bedroom door. He knew without seeing that she was on her knees. He hoped that God would move swiftly on this and that the angels in heaven would protect his son. But he still had to do what he had to do. “Come on, son. You still haven’t put anything in that suitcase. You only have about fifteen more minutes in this house, so I suggest you get moving.”
“I want to speak to my mother alone before I leave.”
Isaac shook his head. “You just stole her car. You’re lucky that we didn’t call the police.”
“You’d have your own son arrested?”
“My son stole from me, didn’t he?”
“I didn’t steal nothing. I brought the car back. I just borrowed it.”
“You borrowed,” Isaac said the word with sarcasm, “the car and committed a felony while it was in your possession. If the feds have Bobby-Ray under surveillance, then they have already made you. For all I know they’ll be knocking on my door by morning looking to arrest you and asking for the keys to Nina's Mercedes so they can auction it off.”
“The feds can’t touch me. I didn’t even sell anything outside where they could have filmed me. Bobby-Ray said I could get started in his trap house.”
“For all you know Bobby-Ray could be a snitch and the whole house could be wired for sound and video.”
The look on Ikee’s face told Isaac that he’d never even considered that. Isaac didn’t wait a moment before turning the knife. “You don’t know a thing about this grown man’s game, do you?”
“I know enough.” Ikee tried to stand tall, with the pressure that Isaac was putting on him. “Probably know about as much as you did at my age.”
“You don’t even know that much. Because I had a mentor who showed me the ropes, which helped me figure out how to run the streets before I took off on my own.”
“Bobby-Ray said he would get me on. He can mentor me. Pretty soon I’ll be the number one go-to man.” Ikee’s chest puffed out as he saw himself on top.
Isaac rolled his eyes heavenward as he tried to school his wayward son. “You’re so thick in the head you don’t even know that you can’t trust Bobby-Ray.”
“Why can’t I?”
At least the boy was pretending to listen. Isaac hated the next words that he had to utter, but they were true… his truth… his past. “Because my crew killed Bobby-Ray’s daddy after I humiliated the man by taking his territory.”
Ikee’s eyes bucked. “You admit it? You stole his territory and then killed him… and you’re mad because I borrowed Mama’s car?”
Isaac nodded. “I did a lot of things back then. I’m not proud of the life that I led. I still have nightmares about that life. I tried to shelter you, so that you’d never know anything about the streets. But you’ve got an itch that I can’t do anything about. So, go on. Do what you gotta do. But take my advice and stay far away from Bobby-Ray.”
Ikee put the suitcase on the bed and threw in two pairs of Jordan’s and his Lebron 12 sneakers. “Is there anyone else I should stay away from?” He pulled some sweats out of his dresser drawer.
“Most of the people I had beef with are dead. But if their kids are in the life, they won’t be too happy about a Walker trying to take over any of their territory.”
Ikee had a terrified look on his face. It never occurred to him that enemies could be lurking around every corner. “But it’s not fair that people would come after me simply because of the things you did so long ago.”
“That’s the way it works in the life you’ve opted into. Watch your back. Because if you don’t, you won’t make it long out there.” Isaac had helped many street hustlers come out of the life, now he was packing his son’s clothes and sending him out into it. He could have taken the route of forbidding his son from ever setting foot on the west side of town again. But if that’s where his son truly wanted to be, Ikee would find a way to get there. Isaac knew that the best thing to do was to school his son by giving him a dose of hard reality. Even if it pained him to do it, he wasn’t going to turn back now. “Take your suitcase to my car. I’ll drive you to an extended stay hotel and pay for your first week. After that, you’re on your own.”
“How can I save up enough money for my car if I have to pay my own rent?”
“Some things in life a man has got to figure out on his own.”
Ikee smirked, “But I thought you said I was still a boy… don’t boys need help?”
Isaac didn’t respond to that. He turned and started walking out of the room. “It’s time to go. I’m heading to the car.” If nothing else, Isaac knew that Nina would sleep a bit easier knowing that their son had a roof over his head for the night. But until now, Isaac hadn’t noticed just how spoiled Ikee truly was. If it wasn’t for his mother, Ikee would be sleeping outside, especially after questioning him about how he was going to pay rent and buy his car. This boy had nerve.
Chapter Six
“Dad, can I ask you a question?” Ikee said as they headed toward the extended stay hotel.
Considering the questions Ikee had asked him lately, Isaac wasn’t sure if he could deal with any more questions. But they had about twenty minutes before they’d reach the hotel, so Isaac figured he might as well talk to his son. “Ask me anything you want.”
“You were like a kingpin, right?”
He knew he wasn’t going to like any question coming from Ikee. “Yeah, I was like a kingpin.”
“I know you went to prison, but from the way I heard it, once you got out you would have been able to pick up where you left off, so why didn’t you?”
Nina must be praying really hard, because Isaac never even thought to tell his son about the way he came out of the drug life. But since Isaac pretty much had his son captive for the next twenty minutes, he figured that this was the right time for this story. “The drug life seems fabulous from the outside looking in, but I killed many men in order to stay on top. I never told you any of this because I’m not proud of the life I led back then. All I can do is thank God that your mother is a praying woman and that God stopped me in my tracks and allowed me to see how destructive my actions were.”
“How did God show you something like that?” Ikee’s eyebrows scrunched up as he tried to figure out what his father was talking about.
“God took me on a trip to hell and that’s when I saw just how wrong I had been.”
Ikee was still looking at him as if he didn’t understand, so Isaac decided he would tell his son the entire story. And as he began it was as if Isaac could hear the lyrics from the late Andrae Crouch’s old classic, “Take Me Back.” Isaac was definitely going back to the place he first received Jesus as he said, “It happened while I was serving my prison sentence and I was getting ready to kill another man, just to prove that I was Isaac Walker and didn’t nobody dare to mess with me…
Isaac went to sleep on that jailhouse cot, but when he opened his eyes, he found himself in a place he knew not of, but one thing was certain, he was definitely not in prison anymore. The blackness of this new place made him long for his three walls and government mandated iron bars.
A man stood next to Isaac. He was clothed in vibrant and wondrous colors. Colors that were unlike anything Isaac had ever seen. A hood hung over his head, so Isaac could not ID him. “Who are you?” Isaac asked.
The man looked at him. “I am Truth.”
The air was gaseous and polluted, dry and tainted. Isaac put his hands up to his nostrils. “What’s that smell?”
“It is the smell of decay, death, and dying. Come, let me show
you.”
As Isaac followed Truth he watched as a black slimy substance oozed down the walls of this… this… it had to be some type of deserted cave. Then he heard the screams. It was unlike anything he’d ever heard. “What in the world?”
“You’re not in the world right now,” Truth told him as he stretched forth his arms. “This is hell.”
No duh, Isaac thought.
Truth continued, “It is a place where lost souls are tormented day and night, minute by minute forever. You seem to enjoy sending people here. I thought you might like a tour.”
A little further into the tunnel and they came to an opening. The very essence of evil sprang forth. Rejected and tormented souls were encased in the walls of the tunnel, anguishing their misery as their silhouettes attempted to pierce through the muck and mire.
Hundreds of menacing spirits stood, growling and snarling, waiting for their captain to unleash them on the world. The demons were of varied shapes and sizes. Some were as big as a grizzly bear with heads like bats and ten-inch fangs. Some were small and monkey-like, with big hairy arms. Still others had large heads, large ears and long jagged tails. The most dreadful of all were the smaller piranha-like imps. They infested their victims in swarms and gnawed at their flesh. The shadow of their leader swallowed the darkness as he towered over them. Green slime dripped from the tips of his flesh-devouring fangs. He received his orders directly from Satan. It was his duty to send these evil spirits forth. He marched back and forth in front of his troops, preparing them for the battle to come. His beady eyes glared at his troops one last time, then with a shout, commanded, “Go!”
The ominous beings flew up and out as the doors at the top of the belly of hell opened to spew these evil spirits out. Their captain continued shouting, “Destroy lives! Do evil! Confuse minds! Distort the truth! Go!”
Isaac grabbed Truth’s arm. “Didn’t you hear them? They’re going to destroy the earth. Why aren’t you stopping them?”
After the Rain Page 4
