The girl gave Don a polite smile and tried to get by. Don blocked her path. “You might be beautiful, but what you doing coming out my house?”
“I went to see Twon.”
“Twon…!” The twins shouted at the same time.
“Cut the games. You too beautiful to be hollering at Twon.” Don said.
“How you gone diss your man like that?” She asked.
“Nah, it wasn’t like that. What’s up I’m Jon. This my brother Don. Twon’s our man and we’d never intentionally disrespect him.”
“Yeah,” Don rejoined staring at the girl.
“It’s been nice, but I have to go,” she said squeezing Don’s cheek.
“What’s your name?” Jon shouted after her.
“Jackie,” she smiled.
“That’s Jackie…?” Jon asked with an incredulous look.
“Jackie who?” Don asked.
Jon raced to her black ’95 BMW 325I, opened the door and hopped into the passenger seat, startling Jackie.
“What’s so urgent?” She asked.
“You’re the Jackie that everybody is talking about? The one from Chicago, right?”
“Yeah, that’s me. Why, what’s up?”
“I’m sure Twon told you that we do a little something but right now we hurting. We need a plug bad and these scare-ass niggas won’t sell to us. I’m saying, why don’t you hook a brother up?”
Jackie turned the motor off. She liked his straight forwardness. “Give me a call and we’ll talk later,” she said handing him a business card.
“Thank you,” Jon said.
“Which one are you?” She asked starting her car.
“Jon,” getting out the car.
G grew homesick and came back to Gary against Shine’s wishes. Instead of laying low, he served notice that he was throwing a big welcome home party. The word spread fast.
“Give me five hundred dollars,” Trina, a tall, slim, dark skinned girl said to Kay.
“Trina, if you don’t get out my face...”
“Oh, you gone give me something,” she said putting her hands on her hips and getting in Kay’s face. “Or I’m going to tell mama. Don’t think I don’t know what y’all be out here doing.”
“How you gone blackmail me? I’m your brother.”
“Look,” she said wagging her head. “If you don’t give me the money right now I’m a march straight to mama and tell her everything I know.”
Kay reached in his pocket. He peeled off five crisp one hundred dollar bills and handed them to her. “Thank you,” she said smiling.
“What you need all that money for?” Jon asked.
“I’m going to this party tonight and I gots to be right,” she flirted with Jon.
Jon reached in his pocket and gave her two more hundred. “Be careful.”
G’s party was off the hook. Everybody showed respect, voicing how much they missed him. In Nashville G learned why they called it Cashville. Shine didn’t show. He thought G was flossing too much. Shine’s little brother Jason was there doing his thing with Trina. G saw the two and went over.
“What’s up Jase?” G said looking Trina up and down. “Who’s this?”
“I just met her,” Jason said shaking G’s hand.
“My name’s G,” he said stepping closer to Trina.
“Trina,” she said with attitude.
“This my party, you should be nice to me.”
Trina took a step back from G.
“This might be your party, but right now you’re disturbing my groove.”
Jason busted out laughing and G got pissed. He pulled Jason to the side and whispered in his ear. Trina walked away. Jason followed her.
“You pissed G off,” he said catching up.
Trina turned around to face him. “I don’t care. He shouldn’t be all up in my grill.”
“G don’t like being dissed. C’mon we got to talk.” Jason said leading her upstairs to one of the rooms. They walked inside. Trina’s eyes widened with surprise.
“What the fuck is going on?” Trina asked.
“Bitch, shut the fuck up,” G said walking over to her. “Who the fuck you think you are? All up in my shit thinking you the shit?” G said getting real close to her. Trina stepped back.
“Look,” Trina said backing into a wall. “I…I just ca-came to have a good time. I didn’t mean to piss you or nobody off. I’ll leave right now if you want.”
“Nah, you cool. You came to have a good time so I’m a give you a good time.”
G snatched Trina by her hair. She screamed. He led her to the bed and flung her to the mattress.
“Help me! Help me!” Trina screamed at Jason.
“Bitch, shut the fuck up,” G said smacking her face a couple times.
He ripped her blouse. Trina fought back but was no match. Jason stood at the door watching in shock. Trina’s bra was off and her breasts were exposed. She tried covering them. It was useless, they stuck out like cones. She kicked, screamed, scratched and hit G. He punched her in the face knocking her unconscious. G kept snatching her clothes off until she was butt naked.
G pulled his pants down and rammed his dick inside Trina. He forcefully pumped all the while talking shit to the unconscious girl. He got his nut off then turned to Jason.
“You better get some of this. The bitch tight.”
“I’m straight,” Jason said unable to hide his disgust.
One of the girls Trina came with became concerned. She had seen Trina walking off with Jason. The girl started roaming the place in search of her friend. She made it upstairs and heard the screams coming from a closed door. The girl slowly walked to the door and opened it enough to see G fucking Trina in the ass before Jason closed it. The girl ran to the nearest phone.
“Y’all better get out here quickly. Trina’s getting raped.”
She gave Kay the address and went outside to wait. The boys ran every red light and stop sign getting there in ten minutes.
“Where’s my sister?” Kay said jumping out his truck with an assault rifle in his hand.
The girl ran into the house and showed them the room where she had seen Trina. Kay pushed her out the way and opened the door. Trina was the only one in there still wearing nothing but one sock. She sat on the bed crying. Blood oozed from her ass. Kay ran over to her.
“Who did this to you?” Kay asked shaking his sister.
“G and Jason,” she said between sobs.
Kay got up from the bed seeing only red.
“Get some clothes on her.” He told the girl as he passed her. Kay, Jon, Don, Ron, Zoe and Smoke went down in the basement. G and Jason were off in a corner talking when G saw the twins in the crowd.
“We gotta go,” G said grabbing Jason by the arm. “It’s about to be some shit.” The two slipped out the house and quietly into G’s truck, getting away.
Kay got frustrated and started shooting people. People were running, ducking, screaming, and fighting trying to get out. Jon followed Kay’s lead, shooting anybody he saw and then the rest of the clique followed suit. At the end of the gunfire everybody that couldn’t get out of the basement was dead. Kay walked around the eleven unfortunate dead bodies searching for G. Jon ran upstairs and got Trina and her girlfriend.
“Let’s go.” Don said pulling on Kay’s shirt.
They met Jon, Trina and her girlfriend outside. “Hospital or my mama?” Jon asked Kay.
“Hospital,” Trina said. Don called Bay Bro and told him to meet them at the hospital.
While Trina was getting examined Bay Bro and the boys were outside talking about G and Jason.
“I ain’t trying to hear that,” Kay said pacing back and forth.
There was mixed feelings about striking right back.
“You know they gone be waiting for us to come back out there,” Don reasoned with Kay.
“Don’s right. You don’t want to do anything while you’re pissed. Be smart. Let yourself calm down and then handle your business.” Ba
y Bro puffed as he spoke.
“I heard everything y’all said and it’s all bullshit. If it was Lynette both you and Jon would be out there right now.” Kay said staring at Bay Bro. He turned to Don. “And if it was Jon or Shawn you’d be the same way. I don’t need nobody to ride with me. Shit, I’m a soldier.”
“I’m with you my brother,” Jon said hugging Kay around the neck.
The nurse came out and spoke to Bay Bro. Trina’s jaw and nose were broken, she had a cracked rib. And was given stitches for injuries to her vagina and ass. Kay took off running to his truck. Jon was hot on his heels. Kay slowed down when he reached G’s street. Jon spotted police and news hounds posted outside G’s house.
“Ah fuck it!” Kay said and sped off.
Kay headed straight to Miller projects. It was empty.
“I didn’t come out here for nothing all these cribs gone catch it,” Kay said.
Jon grimaced but he felt Kay’s pain. He was down no matter what.
“Fuck it, they all get it,” Jon said loading a new clip into a Glock.
Kay had two assault rifles and four Glocks. He had extra clips for each weapon in the truck. The two loaded the weapons. Kay drove around the projects shooting every house they passed, only stopping to reload.
The two shooting incidents made Gary look like the wild-wild west. Eleven were killed at G’s house. Nine dead and fifteen wounded from the projects. Jon read the paper while waiting to visit Trina at the hospital.
“What’s up beautiful?” Jon said smiling as he entered the room.
Trina rolled away hiding her face.
Jon walked into the room and sat in the chair.
“Trina,” he said in a soft voice. “You are beautiful. I had a crush on you since I was five. Right now things are fucked up but it will get better. You have people who love you and we’ll see to it that you get well and they pay.”
Trina was facing the window. She was crying and Jon crawled into the bed with Trina. He held her in his arms.
“I know that you’re older than me but you’re still only seventeen. I need you to promise me, no more house parties and let us know when and where you going clubbing. We all got you.”
Trina buried her head in Jon’s arm and cried.
For the next couple of weeks Kay and Jon went on a shooting spree limited to the Miller area. The shooting brought extra officers to the projects. They patrolled two to three deep in a car. Jon and Kay were setting the tone for the summer.
Jon and Kay were chilling in the game room with Don, Twon, Zoe and Smoke discussing their plans on expanding and setting up another apartment. “I don’t know about 2nd,” Smoke said puffing on a blunt. “It’s some shady niggas down there.”
Jackie had agreed to supply them but they couldn’t agree on a location.
“We already got about thirty brothers holding shit down there. So what if niggas wanna trip?” Don said puffing the blunt. “Fuck ‘em!” Don said chugging beer.
“I’m with Smoke. I don’t like second either. Y’all know some cut-throats down there. They don’t like us and don’t forget about the brothers off fifth,” Twon said sitting his beer on the table. “Y’all know they gone wanna start some shit. Y’all ready for another war?”
“Fuck fifth!” Don said choking on some smoke.
“All I’m saying is that we don’t need extra beef when it can be avoided,” Twon said as the phone rang. He was the closest to it and picked it up.
“Hello,” Twon listened for a minute before saying, “You crazy. SCC don’t pay shit!” He slammed the phone down.
“Who was that?” Jon asked.
“Some dude saying it was time to pay our debt,” Twon said laughing.
“What’s up little men?”
The boys looked up and saw the bouncer from the Savoy. He was wearing a police uniform.
“What’s up?” Don said still puffing.
“I think it’s time we all sit down and talk. You know? Clear up a few things.”
“A few things like what?” Twon asked.
The police sat down at the table across from Don.
“Well for starters, I’m the one who tipped y’all about the undercover. Second, I let y’all shut down the Savoy. And last, I can bust y’all for all the murders y’all did and even throw a couple bodies on y’all.”
“That’s bullshit!” Smoke jumping up from the table. “You ain’t got shit on us.”
“I think you should sit your ass down,” the officer said sternly. “I’m Mad Dog and I can do what I want to do.”
The boys had heard about Mad Dog and they didn’t like the stories. Officer Johnson also known as Mad Dog was corrupt as a politician. He shook all the heavyweights down and even put a couple murders on some innocent people.
“What’s the deal?” Jon asked. “How much you want and for what?”
The next hour was spent negotiating prices and services. Mad Dog would get fifty thousand a month for his services. Those included eliminating certain rivals, making evidence and witnesses disappear. He’d feed information on any undercover agents investigating them. The boys hated shakedown but decided it was better to have Mad Dog working with them than against them.
Shine and G were kicking it at his crib watching the NBA playoffs.
“I don’t know what’s going on with them kids,” Shine said rolling a blunt. “It’s like they got a death-wish.”
G failed to mention the incident with Trina and had told Jason to keep his mouth shut. Shine had no idea of what brought on the shootings and killings.
“I’m telling you man,” G said as he sat his drink down. “We should just go and kick-in their door. Get this shit over with quick fast.”
G was scared. He heard that Trina was the sister of one of the boys. Shine lit the blunt.
“Them little niggas messing up my money,” he said inhaling real deep. “They got the hood hotter than hell.”
G took a swallow of Hennessy. “You know I’m a ride whatever you decide,” he said.
Jon needed to talk with somebody who knew Mad Dog. Jackie did and he asked her to meet him at his mom’s house. They were sitting in Don’s room discussing the deal SCC made with Mad Dog.
“I don’t trust him. I wanna kill his ass,” Jon said.
“Don’t think that thought haven’t cross my mind,” she said sipping orange juice. “It’s cool to have somebody on the inside. Just don’t trust his ass, that’s all. It’s best to work his ass than to get worked. Think of it like this, once you have him take care of a nigga, then you got something on him. Just make sure you have him hurry up and slump a muthafucka.”
May 23rd Shawn was in labor. The main crew was at the hospital to support Don. Even Tina was there. Don was keeping his cool by telling jokes about when Victoria was in labor and how Bay Bro was going crazy.
“All right boy, it ain’t gone be so funny when you gotta change them nasty diapers.”
“That’s what mama’s and grandmama’s for,” Don said kissing Tina on the cheek.
“Oh no, you didn’t,” Tina said laughing. “You’ll do your share of diaper duty.”
The gang sat around until the doctor came out and made an announcement.
“It was a baby boy.”
“John Markel Jenkins,” Don announced and everybody cheered. Don took Jon to a corner. “It’s going to be a good summer,” he said.
June came and all those indicted, received their time. No one got over seven years. A majority copped pleas for five years. The government had done a lot of illegal things and violated constitutional rights to get evidence. The news spread throughout Gary. Jon was the most affected.
“Pretty Ricky was telling the truth,” Jon said sitting in his truck. “We killed him for nothing.”
“We had no way of being certain. We did what was best for all of us,” Kay said.
“What was best?” Jon said raising his voice. “The best thing for us to have done was to believe our boy. I don’t know about y’all, but I
’m getting tired of all this shit. I don’t know what the fuck to do.”
“I’m wit’cha,” Kay said looking at Jon.
18
Jon, Kay and Zoe passed the ninth grade. School was out and summer was in. Rides and Jewels were being flossed by ballers. Business was going well. Even though some crew members were not in agreement, the boys opened Bobby on Second and Buchanan. This venture was going to need more security and product. Jon knew he’d need Jackie. He went to her home to meet with her.
“Why do you want to double-up?” Jackie asked sitting in her air conditioned living room.
“We’re setting up a new spot on Second,” Jon said.
“You better slow ya roll. The more houses you open up the more problems you’re bound to have.”
“Nah, we be alright. The only problem is the brothers off Fifth.”
“You know I got your back.” Jackie shook her head and smiled.
Jackie’s telephone rang.
“Get yourself something to drink. I got to take this,” she said walking away with the phone.
Jackie returned a few minutes later.
“I got to make a trip to the Bronx. You wanna tag along?”
“Sure, why not?” Jon said sipping the rest of his orange juice.
Jackie drove and they chit chatted mostly about her. The car ride came to an end outside a house where a group of men stood. Jon’s presence seemed to set off a buzz amongst the men.
“You know them?” Jackie asked.
Jon glanced at the men. “Nah,” he responded. “But we beefin with this dude Will from out here.”
“Will? That nigga a snake. Don’t sleep on his ass. I’ll make this quick.”
Jackie got out the car and looked at the men. “That’s my brother and if y’all fuck with him,” she said pulling out a 9mm. “I’m a deal with all y’all asses.”
She walked off and took care of her business. The men ice-grilling Jon stopped. When he returned to the game room, Jon told the crew what happened. The boys shared a good laugh.
“I’m telling you Shine,” Will was saying as he rode in Shine’s ’95 Cadillac Deville. “We can hit they ass.”
A Good Day to Die Page 14
