Jon looked down at Lynette sleeping peacefully and then he looked at Don.
“Old man, I love Lynette and I also love my brother. I don’t know what you got planned but please watch out for Don and the rest.”
Bay Bro looked at Jon and smiled. “I got you, son.”
Jossie lived twenty minutes away from McDonalds. She occupied one of the beach houses spread along Lake Michigan. She liked the quietness of being out there and loved the sound of the water at night. There was something familiar about the guy she had met earlier. Jossie couldn’t quite figure it out. She stared at him for five minutes before approaching him. She pulled the piece of paper out of her pocket that he had given her and there was no name, just two numbers. If not for Doug she thought, then surely she would’ve given him a call. Doug knew how she felt about him being out there in the streets and now he had done something where he can’t even leave the house. That was so stupid, Jossie thought. She paid attention to the beige wagon following her. She turned into her driveway, parked and exited.
The butt of the .45 caliber handgun caught her hard in the back of her head and left her sprawled in the doorway. The intruder jumped over her unconscious body and went about his business searching the house, turning things over as he made his way to the bedroom. He opened one of the bedrooms. Doug was sleeping on his stomach in a king size waterbed.
“Get the fuck up!”
Doug reached under his pillow for his Glock but knew that his time was up.
“Cash man,” Doug said on his stomach. He didn’t have to see Cash’s face to know that it was him. “Let me explain, man.”
“Shut the fuck up!” Cash placed the gun to the back of Doug’s head.
“Wait! Please wait,” Doug shouted trying to reach for his gun. It wasn’t under that pillow but was under the next one. “Don’t let Jossie find me like this, please, Cash man. Remember how you used to adore her, please man, this would really fuck her up. Please don’t…”
“Didn’t I say shut the fuck up!” Cash shouted as his conscience came into play. “Get the fuck up and be real easy.” Cash didn’t know what to expect from Doug but he wasn’t taking any chances keeping the gun close to Doug’s head.
Doug got to his feet and Cash placed the .45 in the center of Doug’s chest while patting him down.
“Your bitch-ass gone take a ride with me,” Cash said after making sure he had no weapon on him. Cash took the gun from Doug’s chest and placed it in his lower back pushing him forward.
“It ain’t even gotta be like this,” Doug said as they moved to the front of the house. “I’m saying, we boys. I know I fucked up but,” Doug stopped in his tracks and stared at Jossie lying unconscious in the doorway. He became furious. “Why the fuck you had to hit her? Huh? Why?”
Cash bitch-slapped Doug with the .45 cutting Doug’s right ear.
“Don’t piss me off. Now get the fuck to the car.”
Doug held his ear and stepped over his sister. He grimaced as he thought he should’ve listened to her warnings. Cash threw Doug the keys.
“Drive and don’t try any slick shit,” Cash said looking around. “First, I’ll kill you then I’ll come back and kill Jossie.”
“What the fuck is your problem?” G asked into the phone.
“Cool out,” Shine said looking around to make sure Shawn wasn’t listening.
“What you mean, cool out? We had them little niggas boxed in and then you come to they rescue. You’re making my job harder.” G sounded real upset.
“Shawn was talking all this shit about me and I didn’t want to look like a punk. Look G, tomorrow will be different, I promise. I’m gonna leave Shawn at the house and we can take care of them little niggas.”
“Ahight,” G said smiling. “Catch you later, seven-four.”
“G.D.”
Shine hung up the phone. Shawn placed the receiver down and couldn’t believe what she had just heard. She couldn’t believe that Shine had played her like a fool and was planning to kill the boys.
Cash had Doug drive to a wooded area. There was no traffic. The two men got out of the station wagon and started walking into the woods.
“Cash, it ain’t even got to be like this,” Doug pleaded with his old friend.
“Oh, it’s going to be exactly like this.”
“We go way back and you know that I would never leave you hanging like that.”
“Shit, I can’t tell.”
“I been by your side since I was eleven. Eleven years old and I always been there for you, man.” Tears were rolling down his face. “I was the one who killed dude when he tried to creep you on the ball court. I was the one made those witnesses disappear when you had that double murder. I was the one…”
“Shut the fuck up!” Cash shouted.
Doug was right. He’d been there when no one else cared. Doug never betrayed him or really left him out. But the incident with the boys was a small issue that they could have handled if Doug hadn’t run.
“That was then, you deserted us, Pee-Wee and Darnell paid the price. True soldiers got bodied because you didn’t hold down your post. You got scared and ran like a bitch. I could be dead right now.”
Cash shot Doug in the right leg. He fell on his side holding his leg and screaming like a stuck pig.
“Cash man, I didn’t want to leave you. The plan…”
“The plan what…?” Cash asked then fired into Doug’s other leg. “Now, you want to run, don’t you?”
Doug’s lower body was on fire.
“Cash man, I’m sorry man. If you let me live, I’ll leave.”
Cash looked down at his friend and shook his head. He placed the nozzle inches from Doug’s face and opened fire, still shaking his head. Cash pulled off the dark blue Golden State Warriors warm-up suit that he had put on to prevent any blood from staining the tan Pelle Pelle outfit he was wearing.
Cash went back to Jossie’s house and saw that she was no longer lying in the front doorway. He parked his car, walked up to the door and rung the doorbell. Jossie was sitting on her living room couch holding a towel filled with ice to the back of her head. She was having a hard time trying to figure out what happened. The doorbell startled her. She thought it was Doug or her mom. Jossie opened the door. Jossie dropped her towel with the ice.
“Are you all right?” Cash asked bending down to pick the ice up.
“What are you doing here?” Jossie asked recovering from the shock.
Cash was prepared for that question. “Doug called me and…”
“Doug called you. Who are you? I mean, you give me your numbers and you didn’t even put your name down. What is going on?” Jossie began to cry.
Cash pulled her close to his chest and rubbed her back. “Now I see why I’m so familiar to you, I used to spoil you when you was little. My name is Cash.”
Jossie pulled her head away from Cash’s chest and looked in his face.
“I remembered you from somewhere. I’m still confused. Why are you here?”
Cash took a deep breath.
“Brace yourself. Doug was involved in the Beckman shooting. The police and some other people are looking for him. I tried to warn him about the life that he was leading. Doug been doing some heavy drugs. You know where he is?” Cash asked.
Jossie’s head now hurt from what she had just heard. She still hadn’t figured what had happened.
“I don’t know where Doug at. I was coming in the house and someone mugged me.” Jossie continued to rub the back of her head.
Cash pager went off twice with 911 behind the number. Before he could call the number back, his cell phone started ringing.
“Hello,” he said and listened. Cash received news that made him back away from Jossie wearing a look of confusion. “I’ll be there in ten minutes,” Cash said and hung up. “Something important just came up and I’ve to go. Tell Doug to call me and if I don’t hear anything from him or you, I’ll be back. Don’t worry. Everything will be alright, I promise,” he
said and left.
The boys were confused. They had misread Bay Bro’s intentions. They had planned on showing Bay Bro that they could handle whatever needed to be handled. Bay Bro had told the boys that he wanted to make a run with him and nothing else. Bay Bro hadn’t planned on his business taking as long as it was. He thought that they would be done in no more than fifteen minutes. It had been over an hour and they still sat around waiting.
“Be patient Don, we’ll be out of here real soon,” Bay Bro said.
He walked to the back bedroom. “What’s up? I thought that we’d be gone by now, I ain’t with the waiting.” He said to the woman sitting in there.
“It shouldn’t be too much longer baby,” she said looking out the window.
“When lil’ Dee coming back?” Bay Bro asked peeking out the window.
“Hurry up! Here he comes.” She said as the car rolled to a stop.
Bay Bro ran in the living room.
“It’s that time,” he said pulling out his .44 Desert Eagle. “Blast only if you have to.”
The boys jumped and pulled out their guns.
“Oh shit!” Cash’s mouth dropped open. He looked around and couldn’t believe his eyes, the bitch set him up.
“You want to fuck with the little C’s,” Bay Bro said aiming the Desert Eagle at Cash’s chest. The boys had no idea of what was going on because they never seen Cash before, they had only heard stories about him.
“Who is this?” Twon asked.
“This is Cash.”
The name came out of Bay Bro’s mouth, Don slapped Cash in the mouth with his Glock. Blood squirted out along with two teeth.
“Fuck you…” Cash screamed and grabbed his mouth.
“Bitch ass nigga, why you keep fucking with us?”
Don raised his Glock to smack Cash again.
“Tyrone was my cousin. I had a lot of pressure on me. It was nothing personal.”
“Nothing personal my ass,” Kay said pointing his Glock at Cash’s head.
“Wait Kay, hold on a minute,” Bay Bro said.
“Don’t do it here, take his sorry ass to the alley where the trash at,” Victoria said before looking Cash in his eye.
“Let’s do it then,” Ron jumped in ready to prove loyalty.
“Daddy, daddy,” Lil’ Dee screamed out as he ran into the living room just as Bay Bro was about to speak. Cash grabbed his son and held him close covering his chest. Suddenly he pulled out his .45.
All the weapons in the room was cocked and aimed in Cash’s direction.
“Wait! Everybody just wait a minute.” Bay Bro said.
Victoria standing behind Bay Bro screamed at Cash. The boys kept their guns trained on him.
“Ain’t no kids getting killed today or any other day.” Bay Bro said and put down his Desert Eagle. “You got this one. Take it as a gift from the almighty Himself. Keep on running and don’t ever come back.”
Cash pulled Lil’ Dee close to his chest and eased out of the living room.
“You had the nerve to lie about my son’s health, just to set me up? Bitch, I got you,” he said gazing on Victoria.
Cash made it outside to the station wagon and let Lil’ Dee go. The boy ran back inside the house screaming.
“Daddy…! Daddy...!” He ran up to Bay Bro. “Why you mad at my other daddy?” Three year-old Lil’ Dee asked.
“Cash isn’t your other daddy, Dee. I’m your one and only daddy and I’ll always be your daddy. I love you.” Bay Bro hugged his son and gave him kiss. “Pack some of y’all things.” He said looking at Victoria. “Cash might try and come back and I want both of y’all safe.”
“Where are we going to stay? I ain’t trying to go back to Delany.” Victoria said wrinkling her brow.
“Y’all gone stay with me. It’s bout time I give the family thing a try anyway.” Victoria rushed off to pack leaving.
Cash drove with thoughts racing through his head. Questions were going through his head. That bitch Victoria was dead. Cash pulled in front of Jossies’s place. He’d tell her whatever he had to in order to stay with her.
Jossie answered the door wearing a long Chicago Cub T-shirt with baggy jogging pants. She smiled and let Cash in.
“What happened to you?” She asked seeing his mouth.
Cash looked in her light green eyes and said, “I have some bad news. Doug is dead.”
“No-o-o…!” Jossie screamed and fell to the floor.
“I did everything I could to save him.”
Cash joined her on the floor, wrapping his arms around her. “The call I got was from one of my boys and by the time I got to them, they already had Doug. I lied for him, I tried everything. I got hit in the mouth with a gun then they shot him. I pulled my gun and started shooting but it was too late. I’m sorry.”
Jossie kept crying as Cash consoled her.
Bay Bro, Victoria and the rest of the boys entered his house. Jon and Lynette were watching Ghost. Don walked over to Jon and Lynette.
“You ain’t gone believe this,” he said just as Bay Bro started speaking.
“I know that this is going to be a lot to deal with, especially for you,” he said eyeing Lynette. He lit a Newport then continued. “This your little brother Devon and his mother Victoria. I’ve been seeing Victoria for four years. I cheated on your mother with her. She found out and that’s the reason she left.”
“What? I don’t understand…”
“Baby, I know that I messed up. I’m sorry. I love Lil’ Dee just as much as I love you. Something came up today and they have to stay with us. I want y’all to grow up like brother and sister. I want y’all to know each other and I want you to be all right with this move.”
Lynette looked at her handsome little brother and called him over holding her arms out. Lil’ Dee went to her. Later as Bay Bro continued to answer questions, Lil’ Dee fell asleep in Lynette’s arms. She was cool with it.
The boys went to the Dungeon and watched a bootleg copy of Menace II Society. The phone rang. Zoe answered it and passed it to Jon.
“What up?”
“How you doing?” the voice at the other end said.
“Who this?” Jon said not recognizing the voice.
Ten seconds went by before the voice on the other end said, “You know who this is. I’m a very concerned friend.”
The caller had Jon’s attention.
“Y’all being set-up… Shine gone kill ya’ll tomorrow…”
“Shawn…?” Jon said into the phone.
“Just listen…I’m sure you’ll thank me properly later…”
Jon listened intently then hung up the phone.
“Man, ya’ll not gone believe this.”
“Who was that?” Zoe asked.
“It was Shawn.”
“Shawn!” They all screamed at once.
“She said Shine setting us up.”
“I wouldn’t believe no bitch. She probably mad at her man,” Ron said.
“What do you think Jon?” Kay asked.
“I believe her,” Jon replied solemnly.
“Bullshit!” Ron sounded disgusted. “I can’t believe you gone let her play you like this. We came into some money, real money. I ain’t trying to fuck it up.”
“Sit yo ass down and listen. Remember the first time we met Shine? He walked off to meet his man and came back different. They went they way and we went ours and got shot at.”
“But Don saw dude from Delany,” Twon sounded confused.
“You right,” Jon said pointing at Twon. “Maybe it was dude or maybe it was coincidence. Dude didn’t know that we were going to be at the Hudson Campbell. Shine did and Shawn said that she had to beg him to help us.” Jon looked around the room and said, “It’s better to be safe than sorry.”
They all agreed and started to discuss a counter-plan.
Cash managed to get Jossie to stop crying. He told her that he would stay with her just in case the people who killed Doug were the ones who had knocked her out and t
rashed her house. He told her that he would die protecting her. Jossie composed herself and tended to Cash’s mouth. Jossie led Cash to the back porch. They fell asleep in each other’s arms.
Shawn didn’t like being Shine’s girlfriend and really wanted out of the relationship. She had been stashing away money, close to quarter of million dollars. Shawn was waiting for the right time to make her exit. She cared for Jon and even convinced herself that she might be in love with him. She pictured Jon making big bucks in the NBA. She’d be by his side with their children at all the home games cheering him on. Shawn was determined not to let anyone get in the way of her dream.
Jon couldn’t sleep. Shawn was on his mind. Did she really like him? What about Lynette? Was Shawn setting them up? The thoughts went on and on.
The boys wanted to get an early jump on Shine and his crew so they were at the Hudson Campbell at seven in the morning. They planned on being the aggressors. The minutes ticked away as the boys sat back and waited for Shine to arrive.
Five minutes after eight, four vans and two trucks pulled into the parking lot. Shine was driving a 1993 dark blue Jeep Grand Cherokee fully equipped with rims, switches and a sound system that could be heard for blocks. His main man G wasn’t half-stepping with a 1992 money-green Ford Explorer. The men piled out of vans and their total count was twenty-four, including G and Shine. The boys watched as G barked out orders to the crew. Shawn was telling the truth, she put them on point.
Shine’s men ran to their positions the boys kept watching from where they were parked.
“We should’ve got ‘em niggas when they were huddled up.” Kay sounded frustrated.
“Be patient Kay,” Jon said pointing to Shine carrying a back pack. “We not gone come out of this empty handed. That bag belongs to SCC.”
Jon and Kay walked into the Hudson Campbell while Don, Twon and Zoe made their way to where Shine’s men were. Ron went to his post and started assembling the Mini 14 Jon had given him.
A Good Day to Die Page 8
