The Last Kings

by C. N. Phillips

  Ray then did something I wouldn’t have expected at a time like that. He began laughing. Hard. He waved a finger at the four of them and shook his head.

  “Enough with the games, though. I’m done entertaining the bullshit,” he told them. “What’s funny to me is that the only people who know about this house are Coopa, me, and you four. We are the only ones who also know when the product and money will even be in this bitch. So you know what I’m getting at, right?” He nodded his head at them. “One or all of you niggas is a snake. And I don’t need any snake-ass muhfuckas on my team. Fifty stacks gone. Twenty bricks gone. I’ma just say this shit, you young niggas are bold as hell.”

  “Nah, man—” Jay tried to say.

  “Shut the fuck up!” Ray got in his face, causing him to jump back. “When I lose money, it’s not a good thing. But when Coopa loses money,” Ray removed a 9-mm pistol from his waist, “niggas die.”

  My heart began to beat uncontrollably fast. I couldn’t believe what I was witnessing. It was the first time I’d actually seen Ray on the job firsthand.

  “Oh shit,” Mocha breathed, grabbing my arm and trying to back us further into the kitchen wall.

  “Now what the fuck really happened?” Ray asked screwing a silencer on his gun. “Jay, that’s a nice Mercedes out front. Looks like you just came up on some money . . . or are about to.”

  Ray and Jay locked eyes, and there were a few seconds of silence. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Shy and Tre reach for their hips but before they could even aim, I heard two small spiffs. Two round circles appeared in the middle of their foreheads, and the refrigerator behind them was sprayed with blood. Beside me, Mocha jumped but didn’t make a sound.

  “Ray, you know I wouldn’t set no shit like this up!” Little pleaded like a little bitch.

  “I don’t know,” Ray cocked his gun. “That’s why all of you have to die. I’d rather be safe than sorry.”

  He fired again, and Little slumped. His eyes averted back to Jay, who was literally shaking where he stood. I watched the scene before me like I was at an opening at midnight for the latest comedy.

  “Jay, Coopa put you in charge, nigga, and this is what you do? I know those niggas weren’t smart enough to come up with no shit like this. What the fuck, man?”

  “Ray,” Jay threw his hands up. “Come on, bro, we boys!”

  Ray smirked at his futile attempt at throwing their friendship into play.

  “Boys?” Ray spat. “Nigga, we ain’t boys.”

  “Man, all right, coo. But you and I both know Coopa ain’t doing shit for the city. That nigga don’t give a fuck about nobody but his fuckin’ self. Not even the niggas out here in the streets every day putting in work for that nigga. Fifty bands ain’t shit to him! He’s sitting on millions, fuck him! I have to eat, son; got shit I have to handle. And since that nigga ain’t giving, why not take? Ray, the streets are hungry, and they’re talking.”

  “Talking?” It seemed that some of the things that Jay was saying sparked Ray’s interest, although his gun never lowered.

  “Yea, nigga. Talking. Muhfuckas don’t like how Coopa been handling his business, even called his product bullshit. You know better than me, Ray. You know Coopa ain’t doing right in the game.”

  “All right, Jay.” Ray nodded. “I feel you on what you’re saying and all, but who the fuck are you to take matters into your own hands? Robin Hood, nigga?”

  “Real shit, Ray, everybody knows Coopa wouldn’t be shit without you. That nigga would have been fell off if you weren’t on his team. You should be running shit, not him. This money could be the start of ya’ empire, nigga. And I would be on your team.”

  “First off, nigga, I know all of this. Second, I plan on being king sooner than later, but when it happens, why the fuck would I want a snake like you on my team? You’re a smart nigga, though, just not smart enough.”

  “Ray—”

  “Did you think I was stupid when you called me with that bullshit-ass story? As soon as I walked in this bitch, I smelled the lie in the air. Oh, and I saw that the board you dumb muhfuckas flipped the couch over was loose. This shit ain’t nothing new to me. Sadie, go pull that shit up.”

  “W-what?” I asked. I had forgotten that they could see Mocha and me.

  “Go pull that board up,” he instructed again, never taking his cold eyes off of Jay.

  I pried my arm away from Mocha and did as I was told. I walked back into the small living-room area, glass crunching under my feet, toward where the upside-down tan couch was. The one I saw once we entered the house. I used my body to scoot it to where I had access to the board underneath it, and sure enough, it was slightly lifted aloof from the other boards. I pulled it, and it easily broke away from the floor. Underneath it was a long black duffle bag and a metal suitcase. I grabbed both, even though they were a little heavy, and lugged them back into the kitchen. I dropped both in front of Ray and Jay but curiosity got the best of me. I knelt down and unzipped the duffle bag, revealing at least twenty bricks of cocaine wrapped neatly. I also opened the suitcase and saw more Ben Franklins than I’d ever seen up close in person. I stood back up and looked at Ray who locked eyes with me before looking back at Jay.

  “Sadie, what do I always tell you and Mocha?” he asked me.

  I saw his right arm rise, and I took a deep breath and whispered, “All your niggas ain’t loyal.”

  I could still taste the words on my lips when one final shot rang out.

  Chapter 4

  A few weeks passed since the incident at the trap house, and Ray harbored some guilt for letting Mocha and Sadie see it go down. But because of what he was planning, he knew they had to see it. What he had in mind was big, and he needed to break them into the business somehow. Deep down, he did not want them to be part of the life that he lived every day, but to be honest, besides his best friend Tyler, they were the only other two people that he trusted with his life.

  Ray was born and raised in Detroit, so he’d seen a lot of things; death, betrayal, and hatred. He’d rarely seen love or “real.” Real niggas were a thing of the past, only to be replaced by clones of the real thing. Yet, everybody knew that nothing was better than the original. Ray wasn’t raised around riches or fame, but once he got the money, he became accustomed to it. He was a hood celebrity, just like everyone major down with Coopa’s operation. Sadie and Mocha were well-known as well; Tyler’s younger sister Marie too. They were the princesses in the hood. There was a time where Sadie and Mocha couldn’t even leave the house without five soldiers with them. With his name growing heavier in the streets, Ray knew they could easily be targets.

  The two young women were so much alike, but so different. Sadie was well structured, and he’d always known she didn’t want to go to school, but he agreed with Grandma Rae when she said that’s where she needed to be. Sadie had something he didn’t see in a lot of men. She had a “Go-Getter” attitude and could back it up tenfold. Ray trusted her with everything he had, and her position on his team was already solidified. Just like he leveled Coopa’s mind, he knew Sadie would do that for him. She would keep him from making any messy decision that could potentially ruin the uprising of his operation.

  Mocha was efficient; she was the type of person who could tell if something was out of place with one glance. Ever since she’d come to stay with them, he noticed how good with money she was. Counting it, flipping it, and doubling it. She was about it; Grandma Rae never had to give her a dime. He needed that on his team as well. Tyler was Ray’s right-hand man. Tyler was a man who kept his brain in his trigger finger. Once you crossed him, you crossed him. He’d been bodying his enemies with his. 45 since the age of eighteen. He didn’t have a heart, and if he did, it only extended out to the four of them. Kill or Die Slow, that was the code that he lived by. He had to fight his whole life, and that fact made him the perfect general for The Last Kings.

  The Last Kings . . . Ray had been repeating it in his head for the last few months of p
lanning. He felt as if they were the last real ones in the world, and for that, they should be treated as royalty. The last of a dying breed. He knew from what the four of them witnessed growing up that they were strong enough to endure the hardships that came with the hustle. He knew right away that when brought to the table, Sadie would be down. He saw the look in her eyes when she saw all that money. He also knew that as long as Sadie was down for the cause, Mocha would be too. They were ride or die. He was just waiting for their call. What Jay had said about Coopa losing touch in the streets was more right than anyone even knew, but he had kept that information to himself as he plotted his takeover. He knew Coopa would soon fall off, but before that happened, Ray planned to be well on his way to the top. Never had Ray been a sneaky person, but business was business. He wasn’t going to rob Coopa of anything the man had earned during his reign. He was just going to take Detroit by storm, and in no time, Ray was sure that the streets would be calling his name.

  Not Coopa’s.

  Chapter 5

  “Say, are you all right?”

  My mind heard Mocha speaking to me but couldn’t register her words. I was lost in my own thoughts, hoping they would fall into place. The only consistent thoughts were of the money in that duffle bag and the blood that had spilled over the kitchen. Ray handled the situation without breaking a sweat, and I couldn’t help but to admire it. The power that he held and the money enticed me. Mocha hadn’t said a word to me about it. It was like she was trying to put it in the back of her mind. Or maybe she was just waiting for me to bring it up. Either way, there was a strange aura in the air whenever we were together after the incident.

  “Bitch, I know you hear me talking to you!” Mocha’s voice was finally able to snap me out of my own head.

  “Yea?” I rolled over on my bed to look at her. “What?”

  “So you were just going to ignore me?” she said sitting, legs crossed on her bed.

  “My bad,” I said. “I was just thinking about some things. What did you say?”

  “I asked your rude ass if you were OK. You’ve been acting different.”

  “I’m good, Mo. I’ve just been thinking, that’s all.”

  “About what?” she asked just like I knew she would.

  I shrugged my shoulders, but I knew she wasn’t going to let it go that easy.

  “About what, Sadie? Talk to me.” She stood up in her sweats and came to sit on my bed beside me. I moved away from her a bit, not wanting her to touch me.

  “Mo, chill. I’ve just had some things on my mind.”

  “Like?” Mocha pressed.

  I knew she wasn’t going to leave me alone until I told her the truth, so I did. Suddenly, I didn’t care about what she thought. I took a deep breath and began speaking.

  “I’ve decided that after this semester I’m dropping out of school. I might not even wait until then. College just isn’t for some people, and I’m in that category. You know? And I think you feel the same way. I could stay, but what for? To make Grandma Rae happy? What about my happiness? I want money. And I want it now. Like right now. I mean, did you see that briefcase full of money, Mocha? All that currency. I’m trying to get like that. I feel that I can hold my own against any nigga without an army behind me. I’ve been around this shit my whole life. It’s only right that I take my rightful place in the game. Then take the throne; or one of them.”

  When I was done, Mocha didn’t say a word. Instead, she stared into my eyes, and I looked back wondering how much of an idiot she thought I was. When she finally did speak, there was something different in her voice.

  “Sadie, there’s a lot more that comes with that shit. People get put on every day and never make it to Coopa’s level. Instead, they usually end up six feet under. You know, you watch the news just like I do. You know that these niggas are snakes, especially if they see a bitch getting paid big money. So are you sure you want to take a blind dive into this shit?”

  I didn’t even have to think about it.

  “Rats are going to rat, and snakes are going to hiss. The game will never change, Mocha, and the potential danger doesn’t scare me . . . It excites me. Shit makes me want to cum. I’m almost twenty years old, and I know this is what I want to do.”

  “How are you going to do it? Huh? Are you going to be out on the corners selling that shit yourself? So you can get bumped up by the feds?”

  I could tell Mocha was getting frustrated, but I also could tell that she knew, like I knew, that my mind was made up. I shrugged my shoulders at her again.

  “Ray got me,” I answered her simply.

  “Ray doesn’t want you to live that lifestyle. Didn’t you hear what he was saying?”

  “No,” I shook my head disagreeing with her. I thought about my cousin, I knew him better than anyone, even his best friend. “He wouldn’t have let us see what went down if he was serious about me not being in the game.” I saw a look of understanding spread across Mocha’s face. “He was testing us, Mocha. Don’t you get it? I don’t know what Ray has planned, but you heard what that dude said about Coopa, and I could tell by Ray’s face that it was true. I know my cousin; he’s just waiting for me to call.”

  It took me a while to put two and two together, but I’d finally figured it out. Ray could have easily dropped Mocha and me off at our dorm before he went to handle his business, but instead, he took us with him. He wanted to see how we reacted to the cutthroat life he lived. He had always been like that, ever since I’d come to live with Grandma Rae. He was always testing me. But little did he know, I was ready. Mocha gave a long sigh and shook her head. Some of her curls hung loosely from her ponytail.

  “OK, Sadie, if this is what you want . . . I’m down. But, bitch, if I die, I’m killing your ass.”

  Chapter 6

  While Mocha was in her English class, I decided to pay my Grandma Rae a visit. I felt a little guilty, especially since I was planning to go against her wishes with my schooling, but I couldn’t help the fact that I missed her. I always liked to check on her just to see how she was getting along being in the house by herself. I used the key she’d given me to enter her house, and, of course, I instantly smelled a wonderful aroma coming from the kitchen.

  “Grandma Rae?” I yelled out into the one-story house, closing the door quietly behind me.

  I took my coat off and put it on a hanger in the hallway closet. To my right was Grandma Rae’s living room. It was nice size with black leather furniture sitting on the softest tan carpet. There was a black wooden table in front of the furniture, and the entertainment center was against the wall. Her flat-screen TV made the one at the dorm look like a baby. I kept straight, going toward the kitchen where the smell was coming from and saw a shadow bustling around in the light.

  “Grandma Rae?” I called out once more.

  “In here, chile!” she yelled back at me from the kitchen.

  I entered the kitchen and saw my grandmother in a cute peach jogging suit outfit, an apron, and house slippers. Although she had silvery gray hair that fell just above her ears, Grandma Rae didn’t have a wrinkle on her body. She had the high cheekbones of a runway model and sharp brown eyes just like me and Ray.

  “Mmm! Grandma Rae, what you cooking?” I set my purse on the high six seating kitchen table and went to where she was over at the stove.

  “Just some corn bread, macaroni and cheese, yams, and fried chicken,” she told me wiping her hands. “You hungry, baby?”

  “You know I am! Did you know I was coming over?” I said.

  “I figured you or your hardheaded cousin would make an appearance,” she said with a knowing smile.

  My mouth was watering. She made me a plate, and I took it to the table to dig in. The first bite was pure perfection, and I didn’t know how I was surviving without her cooking at the dorm. I knew everybody said their grandma could cook, but my grandma cooked as well as Whitney Houston sang. There was no one better. Her dream at one point in time was to open her own restaurant, b
ut then she got pregnant and married a man who felt she would do better as a housewife. Whenever she spoke about her dreams and not being able to follow them, I always noticed the sadness in her eyes. I think that was why she wanted Mocha and me to go to school so bad, to make it and be something one day. I just wished I could live up to her expectations. I didn’t have any dreams of a career, well, an honest career, that is. My dream was to lead the biggest drug cartel Detroit had ever seen. I wanted it all, and if I were to tell my grandmother that was the life I wanted to live, I was almost certain it would break her heart.

  “What’s wrong with you, girl?” Grandma Rae stood over me staring with a concerned expression. “You look like somebody stole your man or somethin’!”

  “No, I’m fine, Grandma Rae,” I laughed at her comment. “I was just focused on my food.”

  Grandma Rae gave me a skeptical look, but she left me alone.

  “Where’s that girl Mocha at? I barely ever see the two of you apart! Like two peas in a pod you two are,” she said and sat down at the table with me.

  “She had class, and I just was tired of being cooped in that dorm,” I told her.

  “Well, make sure you take that girl a plate. You know she loves my corn bread,” she waved her finger at me.

  “Her ass does too,” I said under my breath, taking my last few bites of food.

  “What?” Grandma Rae asked, not hearing what I said.

  “Oh nothing,” I told her. “How have you been, Grandma Rae? I see Ray is still keeping you fly.”

  “Yea, you know that boy loves spendin’ his money on me.” Then she shook her head and stood up to start cleaning the kitchen. “I keep tellin’ that boy to save his money! Buying me all this designer shit. I’m sixty-five years old! What do I need Gookie for?”

  “I think you mean Gucci, Grandma Rae.” I giggled at her horrible pronunciation of the word.

  “That’s exactly why I don’t need it!”

  “You’re right!” I said still laughing.