PPP Box Set

by Charmanie Saquea

  “Nobody here knew what was up. Actually, no one else on the team knew. Rick started fishing and that’s why he got killed. And as far as your pops goes, Man’s plan was to take him out, take you out, and take over Brooklyn. I was going to be his underboss. Cam, nobody wants to be a driver or a security guard they whole life.”

  The fuck? Who would say some dumb shit like that when they about to see the light?

  “Max, you a dumb nigga. You were muscle, and a driver, but you ate like a king and got greedy. Niggas like you don’t deserve to run with real niggas son. What happened the day my pops got bodied?”

  I don’t know why I even asked that. The facts surrounding the murder didn’t matter because it wasn’t going to bring him back. I was curious to know though.

  “I picked him up so that we could go pay the connect, but instead I took him to that spot to meet Man. Man sent me to the airport to pick up some other nigga, and I took him back to the spot. Your pops and the nigga said words, and he killed him. We took the money and dipped.”

  Other nigga? Who the fuck would kill my pops for Man? Shit was bigger than I fucking imagined.

  “Who’s the other nigga and what the fuck he had to do with it?”

  Everything that took place proved exactly why Max was muscle and a fucking driver. Any real nigga would have taken his death like a real nigga. That bitch was in there singing like Beyoncé.

  “He not from here his name is uh… Matt…Matthew, or some shit.”

  Ty and I looked at each other and our eyes said all the talking as Max went on.

  “I don’t know what he had to do with it or why he wanted your pops dead. All I know is that when he got there, he called your pops dad or some shit like that, and Hassan went off telling him how he wasn’t his son and his moms was a hoe. That’s when he shot him.”

  I heard everything I needed to hear. I raised gun and aimed directly between his eyes and got ready to end his life before Ty stopped me.

  “Not like this Cam.”

  I looked at him strange. What the fuck did he mean not like this? “

  “We about to go upstairs and have dinner with your moms, sis, your girl, and her parents. You want to do that with blood stains on our suits and gunshot residue on your hands? I know you ready to end his life; shit we all are, but not like this.”

  I hated that he was right. I was ready to off that nigga right there, and right then. That was one of the many times I was reminded why I was lucky to have Ty on my team.

  “Aight, we’ll go have dinner. Everyone keep your eye on this nigga, don’t let him… As a matter of fact!” I reached in his pocket and snatched his cell phone. “Wouldn’t want this bitch calling for back up. But yea if he moves, somebody better follow him. If he tries to leave, shoot him where he stands. I’ll just have to deal with my moms and Skye’s parents, but he’s not living through this night.”

  I watched as everyone shook their heads in agreement and I dismissed them, keeping Ty behind.

  “What happened? We good?”

  Damn shit had gotten so sour between us that the nigga was acting all jumpy and shit.

  “Calm down bro. I’m trying to find out if we’re straight from you. Since that night, shit been different. You don’t trust that I’mma leave your pops be unless we bump into each other, or you think I’m mad at you? Wassup?”

  I needed to know where his head was at.

  “Nah bro, it ain’t even like that. I know your word is your bond. So when you said you gonna let my pops rock, I didn’t second guess that. It’s just different. I mean now we know my pops didn’t have anything to do with the murder but he still was disloyal, and that shit doesn’t sit well with me. And I do feel like you may feel some resentment toward me because of him.”

  Did I feel resentment toward him? Nah, for what? His pops made his decisions, and Ty was his own man. I couldn’t hold him responsible for another man.

  “It’s different because we making it different. You my nigga, Ty. I don’t feel no way towards you over that shit. If we going to get those niggas, we gotta put that shit behind us bro for real. We even got heat coming down on us from Miguel and them niggas, and I need you bro.”

  Ty’s face scrunched up when I mentioned Miguel. He knew going to war with them Mexicans was a recipe for disaster; hopefully for them.

  Ty stuck his hand out and we gave each other dap as he said “I got you bro.”

  We headed upstairs, while I told him what went down at the church with Miguel.

  ****

  Dinner went well; even Max pretended to be enjoying himself. I guess he wanted his last few hours on Earth to be peaceful. I was glad Skye’s parents were over. I know she missed them, and I felt bad that I had been taking up so much of her time that she didn’t get to see them. Skye’s parents were understanding and felt that she was just trying to be supportive while we dealt with the loss of my dad. I mean that wasn’t a lie, but it wasn’t the entire story. After dinner, when Skye’s parents left, my niggas and I headed to the spot in Brownsville. I wasn’t trying to be out there all night. I wanted to get this shit done with and go home to my favorite girls, which is why as soon as we got there I ended that nigga life. Why waste more time? I watched the cleanup crew do their thing and Ty took me home.

  Chapter Seventeen

  Matt

  After the nigga Hassan’s funeral, I spotted Cam talking to some Mexican niggas. I knew they had to be his connect. Those niggas looked like big money, and moved like bosses. Not the type of bosses that was running around the hood; more like the niggas you see on TV. I knew approaching them would be a huge risk, but fuck it I had to take my chances.

  Once I seen Cam’s limo dip, I caught up with the Mexicans. Of course, they didn’t want to hear shit I had to say, but I had some information that would make them listen. I told them about the money we took when I killed Hassan. Of course I told my version of how shit went down; leaving out the fact that I killed Hassan. Actually, I left the incident out altogether.

  The bullshit ass story I made up must have sounded believable because they told me to take a ride with them. Of course, I was hesitant at first. Mexican niggas ain’t shit to fuck with. They are the definition of seven thirty, which meant they were absolutely crazy. During the ride they told me how they were going to handle the Cam situation, and offered me his position once he was out the picture. Shit was sweet. Not only were they doing the dirty work, I was still getting everything I wanted when I set out on this mission. Shit was coming together nicely. I was feeling like Lil Wayne “I ain’t got no worries.”

  Chapter Eighteen

  Skye

  I jolted out of my sleep when my alarm started blaring in my ear. I stopped it quickly before it woke up Cameron as well. He got in late last night, so I knew he wanted to get some rest. I rolled over, frustrated that I had been woken up out of such a good sleep. I contemplated going back to bed, but I know I needed to keep the appointment with my doctor. The last week or so I’d been feeling extremely crappy. I hadn’t had energy for anything, nor did I have an appetite, and my boobs were sore as fuck. Not to mention the last time we tried to have sex, it hurt like hell.

  All those were pregnancy signs, I know, but I’d been in denial about it since I missed my period twice! Don’t get me wrong, I was happy as hell about becoming a mother, but I just wished the timing was better. With all that had been going on; the beef with the Mexicans, and not being able to catch Man, I already had to worry about my safety when I was in the street, but now I had to worry about my child.

  I glanced at the time, and decided that I needed to get up and get ready because Ariana would be picking me up soon. We hadn’t had any time together since before Cameron’s dad’s death, so I reached out to her to accompany me to the appointment. She was excited as hell. I couldn’t front, so was I. The entire time I was in the shower, I thought about my baby. How was he or she gonna look? What were we going to name him or her? How was I going to be as a mom, and Cameron as a dad?
As I was getting dressed, my phone vibrated and I saw that it was a text message from Ariana.

  I’m outside bestie, hurry up. I hope your ass is ready and not have me sitting outside forever.

  I had to laugh at her because she knew me too well. I was indeed still getting dressed, but after getting her text I moved faster. Once I slipped on my Uggs, I wrote Cameron a note telling him I was running out with Ariana, and I left. When I got outside, I hopped in Ariana's car and I instantly hugged her. Even though we spoke every day, it wasn't the same as seeing her in person. I truly missed my best friend.

  "Hey Bestieeeee!" I said, stretching the word bestie to add dramatics.

  She laughed. "Hey chica."

  I frowned, realizing what was playing through her car speakers as she pulled off. I hadn't ridden in her car in so long, I had forgotten that Ari listened to classical music in the morning. Don't get me wrong, I did love to relax to Bach, but in the morning I needed some hype music to help me start my day right.

  "You know this not gonna work girl," I said as I pressed the radio feature, switching to Power 105. Monica's “Love All Over Me” was playing. I sang along, thinking about Cameron.

  ****

  When we arrived at my doctor’s office, I felt butterflies. I don't know why I was nervous; I already knew what it was. I just wanted my doctor’s confirmation, as well as a checkup to make sure everything was going as it should have been. After signing in, Ariana and I sat down and waited. I picked up one of the brochures on pregnancy and started to read through it, when I felt my phone vibrate. I took it out my pocket and saw that it was a text from Cameron. I smiled, knowing that he was checking on me.

  Wassup baby. Why you didn’t wake me up before you left. Are you okay? Did you eat?

  Seeing that I was right about him checking on me, I laughed as I texted him back.

  You came in late and I wanted you go get some rest babe. And yes I'm okay. I will grab food before I head back home. I love you Cameron.

  When I was finally called to see the doctor, my nerves started to get the best of me. Maybe I should have brought Cameron along with me after all. Nah, it was okay. He would be able to come to every appointment after this one, so I wasn’t worried. My OBGYN was a sweet lady. My Doctor was so personal with her patients; she didn’t treat us all the same, and tended to our individual needs. That’s what I loved about her. When I entered her office, she decided to talk about life, school, and everything else before jumping into the reason I was there.

  As I already knew, the pregnancy test she performed confirmed that I was pregnant. I was going to be a mommy. No words could express how I was feeling. I was on a cloud, and out of all the shit that was going wrong lately, I now had something to smile about every day, regardless of what was going on, and Cameron did too.

  In addition to having lab work done, I got a pap smear. I had already mentally prepared myself for that stuff. I just hated needles. After the exams were done and blood was drawn, the doctor and I had a discussion about my medical history, and she gave me a bunch of information about what I could expect. The best part of this visit was finding out my due date, which was August 13th. I would look forward to the day I get to see my precious baby’s face. It was such an amazing feeling.

  ****

  After the doctor’s appointment, Ariana and I headed over to Beauty and Essex for some food. It was a new spot that my mother told me about, so we decided to check it out. It was a nice place, and we loved the atmosphere. It was a nice mix between a bar and a restaurant. The food was good, and we would have loved to try their drinks, but I was pregnant and she was driving. I definitely would be trying them in six months.

  I had to admit that it was a much needed day out with Ariana. I had a chance to take my mind off the madness, even if it was only for a few hours. I just needed a minute without having to think about pissed off connects, ungrateful ass snakes, revenge, and all the other shit that was going on. I’m not saying I had a problem being there for my man, because I didn’t. I just missed normalcy. I missed my damn condo for sure. I loved being at Cameron’s mom’s house with them, but I missed my space. I couldn’t express these concerns with Cameron though because he already had a lot going on. It felt damn good to express them to Ariana. As always, she was a shoulder and a listening ear.

  Cameron

  While Skye was out, I had a chance to make some phone calls. I had a fucking man hunt going on. I put two hundred and fifty thousand racks on each of them niggas heads, yet no one had any new information on Man and Matt. If those niggas was after my spot, I knew they didn’t disappear. They wouldn’t, not until they got what they wanted or until I killed them. Killing those niggas was definitely my intent.

  “Where the fuck are these niggas?” I asked out loud to no one.

  The shit was aggravating me. My organization needed to move forward. Niggas were hitting my phone, complaining about how they getting low on product left and right. To top it off, I was out of a connect. Could shit get any worse at that point? I had Sky there like a fucking hostage. I didn’t let her go back to her crib, and she rarely saw her parents or went out. I knew that shit was eating away at her, but she was trying so hard to show me that she was a rider that she didn’t say anything. I sensed it though.

  ****

  I was in the middle of smoking a blunt when Skye walked in the room. She didn’t even come all the way in, she just waved and turned around. I figured she was going to chill with Vic. They had become extremely close since Skye had been staying there, which was good. Who wouldn’t want the most important women in their life to get along?

  When I was finished smoking my blunt, I left out the room and went downstairs into the living room where I found all my ladies on the couch watching a movie. I sat next to Skye and pulled her close to me. I loved the shit out that girl. It had only been five months and she was riding with a nigga like we was married and shit. A basic bitch would have been left. I knew it was something about that girl when we first met.

  Chapter Nineteen

  Skye

  The past few days had been good, with the exception of morning sickness kicking my ass, and me trying to hide it from Cameron. I wasn’t trying to hide it because I was afraid of his reaction. I just wanted to surprise everyone when they came over for Christmas, which was only a few days away. I think he knew something was up because before I found out I was pregnant, I would roll his blunts and chill with him when he was smoking, but now I would exit the room fast, coming up with some lame excuse.

  ****

  Christmas Eve rolled around and Victoria and I had to head out to shop for last minute gifts while Cameron and Mariah went food shopping. We went in four stores trying to find something for Cameron. He had everything, so it was tough trying to find things that I knew he would love.

  “Skye, this is the last store we looking in for that fool. It’s a shame we couldn’t find something faster.” Vic said as we walked into the Hermes store.

  I laughed and nodded my head. “Okay Vic this is the last stop for Cameron, but girl honestly I was pressed to come here so I could get me a bag.”

  Victoria looked at me and bust out laughing. “Me too.”

  I joined her in laughter as we slapped fives. We had so much in common. We liked the same music, and had the same fashion sense. It made shopping with her much easier since we agreed on everything.

  We browsed through the men’s section, and I ended up getting him a bunch of things that I knew he would look good in. When I noticed Victoria lingering in the women’s department, I went and purchased the bag she was looking at minutes before, along with the matching belt. She was going to be surprised and I wanted to make her smile. After leaving the Hermes store, we had to quickly decide on things for my parents, Vic and Cameron’s mom, Ty, and Ariana because we had to beat Mariah and Cameron home. They didn’t know we went out to get more gifts.

  ****

  When we got home, we didn’t see Mariah’s car so we knew they wer
en’t back yet. We were in the clear. We didn’t have any wrapping to do because the store we went to did gift wrapping as they packed the stuff. All that was left for us to do was put everything under the tree, and we did that in no time.

  Victoria wanted to bake cookies when we were done, but I really felt a little drained. I promised to keep her company while she made them. She moved around the kitchen getting the ingredients together, then sat across from me at the table. As soon as she opened the cookie dough, I got sick to my stomach and my food was threatening to come up… Nope it was coming, so I got up and ran to the bathroom.

  I was standing over the toilet, holding my hair up as the food I consumed earlier came out. I felt like shit. I didn’t think I could get with seven more months of that sickness shit. When I was done, I turned around to go to the sink and Victoria was standing there staring at me.

  “Please don’t ask me. Please don’t ask me.” I thought to myself.

  “You pregnant, Skye?”

  Of course she would ask me. Why couldn’t a person have a stomach bug without it being a pregnancy? Vic was smart though, so I couldn’t even try to fool her.

  I smiled “Yes you’re going to be an auntie!” I said stepping, over to the sink to rinse my mouth out.

  She hugged me so tight that I thought she was going to squeeze the life out of me.

  “Oh my gosh! Congrats, Skye. Does Cam know? How far you? When did you find out? Like, tell me everything.”

  I had to laugh at her, her intentions were good and I know she was excited, but she had to slow down.

  “Slow down Vic. Cameron doesn’t know. I planned on telling everyone tomorrow. I just found out a few days ago, and I’m almost three months.”

  Vic was smiling from ear to ear. I was happy she was excited, and I knew that she would be a great auntie.

  “Vic is it okay if you make the cookies alone? I want to lay down for a bit until my parents get here.”