I Can't Let Go

by Chenell Parker

They rode the rest of the way in silence until they pulled up to the entrance of the garage. Miguel opened the door and Dirty drove the same van that he had the brothers in two days prior. Luis and Mateo were standing there waiting when the men got out of the car.

  “What’s good Unc?” Tino asked as he and Dirty gave him dap. Ronald nodded his greeting because he didn’t really know the other man too well.

  He knew that Tino’s uncle was his connect but he had never really been around him. He wanted to but Mateo didn’t trust too easily. For some reason, he’d taken a liking to Dirty and welcomed him into his small circle. Ronald was hoping to prove himself to the powerful older man, in hopes of getting some work of his own and making more money. He wanted to be his own boss and have niggas working under him. Tino’s cousin still got them right but he wanted to be the one to get other niggas right. It was his time to show and prove and he was ready.

  “So, what’s the plan? I’m ready to get at them niggas right now,” Ronald said excitedly.

  “I’m happy that you feel that way because we’ve made it easy for you. Follow me,” Mateo said as he walked them over to the other side of the garage. Ronald was eager until he saw exactly what Mateo wanted to show them.

  “The fuck is this!” Ronald yelled when he saw his brother, Ramon, on the floor out cold.

  “This, my friend, is what we call disloyalty,” Mateo replied, right as Ramon began to stir.

  “Man, come on y’all! We’re family. Y’all know Ramon would never cross y’all on no snake shit!” Ronald yelled in his brother’s defense.

  “Yeah, it was hard for me to believe too but shit happens.” Tino shrugged.

  When Ramon sat up, Ronald rushed over to him and helped him sit up in a chair. His brother looked pissed and he understood his frustration. He was ready to put in work but not against his own little brother.

  “I don’t know who y’all been listening to but they obviously fed y’all some bogus info. Let’s talk about this shit before y’all overreact,” Ronald pleaded.

  “Yeah, let’s talk about how he ran up in my house with some niggas and tried to kill me. Let’s talk about how he ran up on Dirty with them same niggas and shot him up too. Ain’t no hearsay fam. The niggas that he ran with already told us what it was,” Tino said.

  “What niggas? Y’all got me fucked up. If I wanted you niggas dead, y’all would be,” Ramon assured him.

  “That’s fucked up bruh. All the love niggas showed you and that’s how you feel?” Dirty asked.

  “I never had no problem with you, Dirty, but I’m not kissing nobody’s ass,” Ramon said while scowling at Tino.

  “This nigga is a hater right up until the end,” Tino chuckled sarcastically.

  “Fuck you bruh. You ain’t the only nigga out here eating,” Ramon spat angrily.

  “Nah, but I was the only muthafucker who was out here feeding you! Cousin or not, I should have been put a bullet in your head a long time ago. But, for you to want me and my wife dead is a new low, even for you,” Tino boomed.

  “I didn’t have shit to do with what happened to you and your wife but you can believe whatever you want to,” Ramon replied. He flinched when Tino lifted the gun and pointed it at his head. He tried to play hard but he was scared to death.

  “Come on cuz. It don’t even have to be like that,” Ronald said in a pleading tone.

  “Don’t beg that nigga for my life. I’m innocent but I’d rather die with my pride,” Ramon said as he stuck his chest out. He was scared shitless but he would rather put a bullet in his own head before he begged another man for anything. Especially if that man was Santino.

  “Fuck it then. No need in me wasting anymore time talking,” Tino replied as he cocked the gun.

  “Ahh! The fuck nigga!” Ronald yelled as he dropped to the floor in pain. He didn’t know why, but Tino moved the gun from his brother’s head and turned it on him instead.

  “You’re even grimier than I thought you were. Your bitch ass was gon’ stand there and let your brother die behind some shit that you did. You foul as fuck for that shit,” Tino fumed as he stood over Ronald with his gun aimed at his head. Dirty snatched Ronald’s gun from his waist, just in case he decided to be brave.

  “The fuck are you even talking about bruh?” Ronald questioned as he held the leg that the bullet went into.

  “I must admit, you had me fooled. See, Ramon showed everybody that he was a hater but you were on the low with your shit. And using your girlfriend’s brothers to help you pull the shit off was genius. But, you fucked up when you invited them niggas to Dirty’s party. I guess since some years had passed you got comfortable and let your guard down. Had my wife not recognized their voices, you probably would have gotten away with the shit. And you can stop calling their phones because they won’t answer,” Tino smirked.

  He was blindsided by the information that he received from the two brothers, but Dirty wasn’t. When Tino first told him what Kimora said, he already knew what it was. The two men who they snatched up were Simone’s brothers. Ronald had been with Simone for years and he was tight with her entire family. He blew their phones up the night Tino and Dirty snatched them up, but those calls were pointless.

  According to them, it was Ronald’s idea to rob Tino but they didn’t know why he wanted Kimora dead. They were just following his orders and were unsure if he was working with anybody else. It was crazy because Ronald and Tino had never had any problems in the past. If he felt some kind of way, he did a damn good job of hiding it. They were keeping an eye out for Ramon, when the real enemy was even closer than they thought.

  “Fuck you nigga! Yeah, I did it and I wish your bitch ass would have died,” Ronald said, right before Tino kicked him in the mouth and made blood gush from it.

  “Yet, you’re the one who’s about to eat some bullets,” Tino gritted.

  “I don’t even give a fuck no more. I got tired of waiting for you to tell me when I could eat. All the years of loyalty I gave you didn’t mean shit. You made sure that Dirty and your other cousin was straight and said fuck the rest of us. You gave them their work for pennies but we had to pay the full price for our shit. Even your bitch was calling the shots on when we could get money,” Ronald huffed as he spit a wad of blood from his mouth.

  “But, why come after me?” Dirty asked.

  “Fuck you too, nigga! I asked you for more work but you were too afraid to go against Tino to help a nigga out. You were eating good, so you didn’t give a fuck if the rest of us starved. I was done asking you for anything too. I was gon’ take all that shit,” Ronald replied with a maniacal laugh.

  He sounded deranged and they had never seen that side of him before. Dirty remembered him always asking for more work but it wasn’t his work to give. Tino called the shots and he didn’t think it was a good idea. He never thought his own flesh and blood would want him dead for something so minor. In his mind, it wasn’t even that real.

  “You were never cut out for this shit anyway,” Dirty spat angrily.

  “Obviously, I was. I had y’all niggas fooled for years. See, unlike my brother, I know how to play the background and move in silence. See bro, I told you to stop letting people know how you really feel. Keep that shit to yourself and move accordingly,” Ronald said while looking over at his little brother.

  “If I were a doctor, I would tell you to get your affairs in order. Since I’m not, fuck you nigga,” Tino said as he raised his gun and let off two shots in Ronald’s head. Killing his first cousin was something that he would never have thought he’d have to do. Since Ronald tried to kill him first, he really left him no choice. It was kill or be killed.

  Ramon turned his head as his brother’s lifeless body fell over to the dirt covered floor. Tears of sorrow escaped his eyes from witnessing his only brother being murdered before his eyes. Ronald tried to play tough but he knew him too well. He was scared but he refused to show any weakness. Truthfully, Ramon didn’t know that his brother was behind everything that
happened but he wasn’t surprised. Ronald wasn’t as vocal but he hated Tino just as much as he did. When they were alone, they were free to voice their opinions without anyone coming to Tino’s defense. They acted like that nigga was God or something. Now, Ramon had yet another reason to hate him. He didn’t care about Tino’s Dominican family. He wanted him to eat the same bullets that he’d just pumped into his brother’s now lifeless body.

  “Let’s clean this shit up and be on our way,” Miguel said as he slipped on a pair of gloves.

  “The fuck is you crying over this fuck boy for? The nigga was about to let you die behind some shit that he did,” Tino gritted as he looked over at Ramon’s tear soaked face.

  “I don’t give a fuck what you think. That’s my brother,” Ramon fumed through tight lips and flaring nostrils. He looked at Tino with hate in his eyes and malice in his heart. As far as he was concerned, he had no family now that his brother was gone.

  “Are you okay nephew?” Mateo asked.

  “I’m good but I would be better if I knew that this shit was really over with. I can’t help but think that somebody else was in on this shit,” Tino replied.

  “If so, we’ve sent them a very clear message,” Mateo replied, right as they heard a single gunshot go off.

  They all turned around just in time to see Ramon’s dead body hit the floor. Dirty was standing there holding the gun that he’d just used to end his cousin’s life.

  “The fuck happened bruh?” Tino asked while looking at Dirty in shock.

  “I just eliminated a potential problem for us in the future. That nigga got too much hate in his heart. The way he was just looking at you said a lot,” Dirty replied.

  “Oh well. Let’s clean this shit up and get out of here,” Miguel said.

  Tino and Dirty left and were on their way soon after. Since Ramon and Ronald were family, Mateo wanted to put them some place that they would be found soon.

  “I hope you ain’t over there having no regrets,” Dirty said as he looked over at Tino.

  “Why? Are you?” Tino asked.

  “It was either them or us.” Dirty shrugged.

  “Which is why I don’t have an ounce of remorse. I plan to sleep like a baby tonight,” Tino replied as he closed his eyes and exhaled.

  It bothered him for years because he didn’t know who had shot him and why. Now that he had that problem eliminated, he was ready to move on and pray that nothing else disturbed his peace.

  Ced poured himself another drink and sipped from the glass. It was his second one in less than an hour and he knew that he would probably have many more.

  “Are you okay baby? Are you hungry?” Val asked him.

  “No sweetheart, I’m okay,” he replied with a forced smile.

  Their house was full of people that Val and Kimora were entertaining. Ced wasn’t in the best mood, so he was happy for that much. He and his brothers had just come back from making funeral arrangements for two of their nephews. They’d already lost their brother. Now, his only two sons had been killed. When Ced got the call three days before, he was praying that it was a mistake. When he went to the morgue to identify their bodies, he realized that it wasn’t.

  “Y’all might not want to hear this but them niggas had to have done something to somebody. I can see one of them getting murked but not both of them at the same time. That shit just don’t add up,” Bryson said as they all sat around talking.

  “I said the same thing. Not to mention, they found Simone’s two brothers the same day. That shit is mad fishy,” Corey agreed.

  Simone was losing her mind. Not only had her two brothers decomposing bodies been discovered, but her man and his brother’s bodies were found the same day. She had been admitted to the hospital twice because she hadn’t eaten in days and was dehydrated. None of the men in her life were perfect but they didn’t deserve what happened to them.

  “They probably fucked over the wrong person and got dealt with. That don’t make it hurt any less though,” Ced sighed.

  Tino felt bad to have caused his father and the rest of his family pain. He really didn’t have a choice in the matter though. It was probably only a matter of time before Ronald tried to come at him and Dirty again. According to Simone’s brothers, the fifteen grand that they got from his house that night was the only reason they hadn’t tried sooner. They were able to get some weed with that to hold them over for a while. After that, Tino gave it up, so they didn’t have a reason to come at him again. That was why they went after Dirty instead.

  “I think that nigga Ronald was on some snake shit. I don’t know how true it is but they were saying that he robbed some dude for his dope and money a few months ago. Niggas in the barber shop were talking and I was tuned in,” Bryson said.

  “That makes sense. Ramon was probably in on the shit too. This is all fucked up but it is what it is.” Corey shrugged.

  He hated that he would be burying two of his nephews in three days but that was life. He had been side eyeing Ramon for a while but Ronald had never given him bad vibes. Ramon was a known hater and he hated on Tino the most. Corey never told anyone but he always suspected his nephew of having something to do with Tino getting shot.

  “I’m just happy that my brother is not here to see this shit. Burying his only two sons would have killed him,” Ced said.

  They all sat around and talked for hours until the crowd disbursed and everyone went home. Three days later, Ramon and Ronald were laid to rest. The church was packed with their family and friend and the service was nice. Tino and Dirty sat on the second row with their wives staring at the two bodies they were responsible for putting in the coffins. They didn’t shed a tear but Simone had to be carried out several times. The family opted not to have a repast and Tino was happy for that. He was going to bring his wife and daughter out to eat and bring his ass back home. Once the services were over, the two brothers were lowered into the ground. Tino and Dirty felt like their problems were buried right along with them.

  “Z oe, it’s me. I really need to talk to you. Call me back. Please. It’s really important,” Venus begged as she left Zoe yet another message.

  She felt like she was all alone without her best friend and she needed her now more than ever. Her life was going down the drain and she didn’t have anyone to talk to. Since her brothers and Ronald got killed, Simone withdrew from everything and everyone. She stayed inside and mourned all day and barely answered her phone. Venus went to see her twice before but it was a waste. She just stared off into space and barely said a word.

  When her phone rang in her hand, Venus got excited, thinking that Zoe was calling her back. When she saw that it was one of girls from the nail salon, she ignored it just like she had been doing for the past two weeks. She was sure that they were wondering what was going on because she hadn’t opened the shop in a minute. She hadn’t even really been home. She had been renting a hotel room in Biloxi and staying there by herself. She had come back home about an hour ago to get more clothes but she needed to talk to Zoe first. Venus knew that it was Miguel keeping her best friend away from her and she hated him for it.

  “Fuck it,” Venus said as she grabbed her keys and purse.

  She had a lot on her plate and she needed someone to vent to. Miguel would just have to deal with it. After all, Venus was there long before he was and she wasn’t going anywhere. Venus got into her car and sped all the way over to her best friend’s house. She prayed all the way there because she needed a miracle.

  When she pulled up, Venus took a few deep breaths before she got out of the car and knocked on the front door. She was sure that Zoe and Miguel were going to look at the cameras and see that it was her. She only hoped that they answered the door when they did.

  “Are you lost?” Miguel asked when he opened the door and scowled at her.

  “Is Zoe home?” Venus asked nervously. She was hoping that he wouldn’t be there but that was wishful thinking.

  “My wife is busy,” Miguel snapped,
right as Zoe appeared behind him. He was about to slam the door in Venus’ face if she hadn’t. He knew that his wife missed her best friend but Venus was no good for her. He tried to stay out of it when they had fallouts, but she went too far when they got into it that last time.

  “Can we talk Zoe, please?” Venus begged.

  “She’ll call you later. This is our date night,” Miguel said, answering on his wife’s behalf.

  “I won’t take up too much of your time, I promise,” Venus pleaded.

  “Give me a minute baby,” Zoe said as she looked at her husband.

  “Are you sure?” Miguel asked.

  “Yes baby, I’ll be fine,” Zoe assured him. He gave Venus one final look before he walked away and left them alone to talk.

  “What does he mean are you sure? You’re my best friend. Does he honestly think that I would do something to you?” Venus asked, offended.