A Trillion to One

by Chenell Parker

  “No doubt. Not too many niggas left as real as you are, fam. Shit did something to me when you and Amore got knocked. That’s why I made it my business to handle Bum personally. Snitching ass nigga didn’t even deserve to breathe the same air as me. I guarantee you that shit will never happen again though. I got a few insiders on the payroll now,” Skip replied.

  “All these niggas are fake if you ask me,” Viper replied as he hit the button to unlock the car. When the front door of Ciara’s apartment opened, he and Skip both turned their heads in that direction.

  “Can you at least answer the phone when I call you?” Ciara asked as she looked at him with pleading eyes. Viper only frowned in response as he and Skip got into the car.

  “Damn boy. She be on that ass,” Skip laughed as Viper pulled off and sped away.

  “Man, I need to get my money up quick so I can get the fuck away from her ass. Amore never nagged me or wanted to be up under me all day. This bitch is too clingy and needy.” Viper frowned.

  “Ain’t that Lo’s old bitch?” Skip asked.

  “Yeah and that nigga can have her ass back. The fuck was I on to even go there with her,” Viper replied, getting angry with himself.

  “I need you back in your old position bruh. Shit with that nigga Lo ain’t as sweet as it used to be. I’m losing out on money all kinds of ways with that clown,” Skip fussed.

  “How so?” Viper questioned. Skip didn’t tell him where they were going, so he just drove around the city with no known destination in mind.

  “Dude is too damn cocky now. Niggas be going at him to get work and he want to move whenever he feels like moving. They’re starting to complain on his ass too much. Niggas are going to the competition just so they don’t have to deal with his ass no more,” Skip noted.

  “What competition?” Viper asked.

  “There’s always competition fam. My shit is much better but that doesn’t always matter. That nigga Lo is feeling himself too much. Not to mention the heat that he’s been bringing around the spot.”

  “What heat?” Viper questioned, feeling like he was out of the loop.

  “That nigga Gene got killed and everybody moved on except his bitch. She swears that Logan did the shit and the police have been on his ass since then. I had to close up shop and move to another location. I got that nigga on ice for a while until all this shit blows over. That’s why I’ve been moving around so much lately. Khalil got locked up and that made me have to work a little harder,” Skip replied.

  Khalil was the one who drove him around and kept an eye out for him when he had to do pick-ups and drop-offs. Since he’d been gone and Logan had been laying low, Skip had to do a lot of things on his own. He didn’t trust too many people and he was happy that Viper was back on the scene.

  “I got you, fam. Just let me know what you need me to do,” Viper said.

  “That nigga Lo is done for. That was your spot anyway so fuck him.” Skip frowned.

  “You got that shit right. I heard that nigga tried to get at my bitch when I was locked up too. I guess he was trying to be on some catch back shit,” Viper said.

  “What’s good with Amore? I tried to look out for her when she got out but she wasn’t really fucking with a nigga. I heard that she’s pregnant by that white boy that everybody knows,” Skip said.

  “Can you believe that shit bruh? Amore and a fucking white boy. She’s too gutta for that shit,” Viper laughed.

  “My girl be following all that online bullshit and dude is supposed to be a big deal,” Skip noted.

  “Fuck that clown. Just wait until I get my money up like I want to. I’m going back and get what’s mine. He can keep his half breed ass baby and move the fuck on,” Viper fumed.

  “No worries bro. Your money will be straight in no time at all. We’re about to get this shit on and poppin’. I’m switching up everything and rearranging the entire operation. You’re about to see more money than you’ve ever seen in your life and you won’t even have to work hard to get it,” Skip assured him.

  “Let’s do this,” Viper replied excitedly, as Skip instructed him on where to go. He was ready to get to it and let everybody know that he was back like he never left. But, more than anything, he wanted to remove Logan from the imaginary throne that he’d placed himself on.

  Weeks had passed and Logan was tired of laying low. Skip told him that he would let him know when the smoke cleared but he hadn’t hit him up yet. Skip never talked over the phone and none of the other niggas who worked under him answered when Logan called. He understood that Skip was trying to be cautious but the shit was starting to get old. Gene’s bitch had the wrong nigga and she was fucking up his money. If he wasn’t already being watched so hard, he would have been put a bullet in her head and been done with it. He didn’t know what Gene told her before he got killed but she was adamant about him being responsible. Skip didn’t like the police sniffing around his spots, so he changed shit up and told Logan to chill.

  He knew that Skip was pissed because he had to do more work than he wanted to. Getting the corner boys right and keeping them in line was Logan’s job, but Skip didn’t want him to be seen for a while. Skip hated to get his hands dirty, but Logan was ready to get back to it. Shit was sweet now and all the drama had died down. He was about to head to the new spot to talk to Skip face to face. Hopefully, he’d be there and they would be able to pick up where they left off. Logan had just pulled up to the corner store and two of the corner boys who answered to him were standing out front smoking. They were usually excited to see Logan but they seemed annoyed now.

  “What’s good bruh? I called your phone all day yesterday and I called you twice today. The fuck is up with y’all,” Logan said as he pointed between the two of them.

  “Ain’t shit up but this money that we gotta make,” one of them snapped with an attitude.

  “The fuck is you talking to like that nigga. You must be trying to starve out here. You better respect the nigga that feeds you,” Logan barked angrily as he got out of the car.

  “Oh, I do. I got mad respect for that nigga,” he laughed as he and the other dude slapped hands and walked away.

  Logan didn’t know what that was about but he was gonna get to the bottom of it as soon as he saw Skip. He didn’t do disrespect and he was gonna handle that lil nigga when the time came. He needed cigars, so he walked into the store to buy a few. He spotted another corner boy standing by the register, so he went to see what was up with him.

  “What’s good bro?” Logan asked him.

  “Ain’t shit,” he replied with a lazy shrug.

  “How’s business been going?” Logan asked, right after he told the cashier what he wanted.

  “It’s going,” the dude replied as he shrugged again.

  “The fuck is up with you niggas. Skip might need to get him a new team. Y’all lil muthafuckers be buggin’,” Logan snapped angrily.

  “I hear you fam,” the younger man laughed.

  “What’s funny lil nigga? Huh? The fuck is so funny. How much money did you make today? Let’s see if you’re still laughing after I count what you brought to the table. Run them pockets nigga,” Logan demanded.

  “Man, you buggin’,” he replied as he walked away and out of the store laughing.

  Logan was furious. He paid for his items and hurried out of the store after him. He felt like he was losing his grip and he didn’t like that at all. Before, all he had to do was say the word and they would jump to make shit happen. Now, they didn’t seem to respect him as much and he needed to get a handle on everything.

  “Aye nigga, I hope you got a backup plan because it’s over for you now. You disrespected the wrong nigga. Give me whatever you got left. I’ll get somebody else to get it off,” Logan said as he walked up to him and held his hand out.

  “Man, you might want to call Skip,” the dude smirked.

  “The fuck do I need to call Skip for? Nigga don’t show his face for a few weeks and y’all start getting bold,
” Logan fumed as the other man pulled out his phone and made a call.

  “Bet,” he said, right before putting the phone back into his pocket.

  He was talking too low for Logan to hear what he was saying and the call didn’t last very long. A minute or so later, Logan’s phone rang as the other man walked off and got into his car. Logan was happy to see that Skip was calling because they needed to get an understanding.

  “What’s good fam? These lil nigga are on one today,” Logan said as soon as he answered for him.

  “I just pulled up to the new spot. Come fuck with me,” Skip replied before he hung up.

  He’d broken the lease on the house that Logan used to post up at and got an even better one. Logan had only been there once but it was bigger and better from what he could see. It took him about ten minutes but Logan pulled up and parked right behind the dude who he’d just talked to at the gas station. He walked into the house right as Logan was getting out of his car. As soon as he opened the door, Logan spotted all the corner boys posted up in the house, along with the other two that he’d seen at the gas station. There was a black, three-piece leather living room set in there, along with a big tv mounted on the wall. A game system was hooked up to the tv and everyone’s attention was on the screen. Well, it was until Skip walked into the room.

  “Turn that shit off. I need to rap with y’all for a minute,” Skip said, getting everyone’s undivided attention. They turned off the game and the tv and looked at him with the respect that he demanded. That’s what Logan was used to and he was determined to get it back.

  “Yeah, let’s rap because I got some shit to say too,” Logan replied as he went and stood next to Skip.

  “You can sit down bruh. I got it,” Skip said, embarrassing Logan and making the other men snicker.

  “What’s good boss man?” one of the eager corner workers asked.

  “As y’all all know, shit has been crazy lately with the police sniffing around, which is why I had to switch up the spot,” Skip said as all eyes fell on Logan.

  “The fuck y’all looking at me for?” Logan snapped angrily.

  “Calm down bruh. Nobody is blaming you for nothing. Things have been a little off but I’m happy that shit is on and poppin’ once again. I got my right hand back where he belongs and we’re about to get this money.” Skip smiled, making Logan smile with him.

  The other men in the room mumbled their approval and nodded in agreement. Logan felt like that nigga and his chest swelled with arrogant pride. His smile faded and his pressure rose to dangerous levels when Viper walked into the room and gave Skip dap. The entire time Logan thought that Skip was talking about him, but he was obviously referring to Viper instead. Logan didn’t even know that Viper was home but it all made sense. The way the corner boys disrespected him and laughed in his face all made sense to him now.

  “What’s good fam?” Viper asked with a stupid looking smirk on his face.

  He wanted to make a dramatic entrance to see Logan’s reaction and his face was priceless. Viper was back like he never left and the money he’d made over the past few weeks made it all worth it. He had more than enough to get the fuck out of Ciara’s house but he couldn’t get an apartment in his name. With no legal income, a criminal record and no identification, Viper was fucked all the way around. He had been kicking it with Skip’s sister-in-law and he was hoping to finesse her into doing it for him. She had a man, so they got a room whenever they wanted to chill. She couldn’t sleep out and that was even better. He didn’t want a commitment from anybody if it wasn’t Amore. Viper still hadn’t seen her, but he knew that it was only a matter of time. He hadn’t seen his grandmother either but he planned to do that soon.

  “What’s up?” Logan countered with a head nod, pulling Viper away from his thoughts.

  “Y’all can get back to it. I need to rap with you for a minute, Lo,” Skip said as he dismissed everyone else and asked Logan to stay.

  Logan already knew what he wanted and he didn’t need a speech. Skip had him fucked up if he thought that he was going to share his duties with Viper. He was pissed with himself for once thinking that Viper was even his friend.

  “Let me save you the trouble bruh. I don’t need no help running my team. We’ve been getting money for years, so there’s no need to switch it up now,” Logan noted.

  “I disagree. The fact that Viper managed to make in three days what you made for an entire month tells me that I need to switch a lot of shit up,” Skip said as he looked him in the eyes.

  “Shit happens bruh. Some months are slower than others. You already know how the game go,” Logan said while looking at Skip.

  “You already know that I don’t beat around the bush fam. I’ve decided that, financially, Viper is the better man to oversee everything from here on out. He did the shit for years and he already knows the ends and outs of the business. The corner boys will answer to him and he’ll run the house too. I wanna make sure that you still eat, so he can get you right with some work if you choose to stay on the team,” Skip said, as Viper stood there and smiled like something was funny.

  “Damn bruh, after all the money I made for you and this is how you do me,” Logan chuckled sarcastically. He was doing a great job of controlling his emotions because he wanted to snap.

  “Hol’ up lil nigga; you didn’t do a muthafucking thing for me without being compensated. That’s how business arrangements work. You do a job and you get paid to do it. You let your ego fuck with my money and that’s bad for business. You did a good job of learning how to hustle but Viper was born for this street shit. And like I just said, you’re welcome to stay on the team and keep your plate full but that’s up to you,” Skip said as he used his hands to emphasize his words.

  “Nah, I’m good on that. I can assemble my own team,” Logan replied angrily. Skip had him fucked up if he thought he was gonna go from being second in command to working with the other corner boys. He would never take orders from Viper. He’d done that long enough before he got locked up. Working under Viper made it easier for him to get on with Skip. Logan worked his ass off until Skip put him on top and he wasn’t about to be Viper’s yes man again.

  “Fuck it then.” Skip shrugged as he walked away.

  “Look, I’m willing to forget the past and move on if you are. We used to be boys and we can get this money together. And just to show you that there are no hard feelings, I’m willing to give you your old bitch back as a peace offering,” Viper smirked.

  “Nah, she’s all yours fam. I always did want to switch bitches with you anyway,” Logan winked as he walked away. Viper was heated after he made that comment but he didn’t let it show. He stood near the window and watched as Logan angrily pulled away.

  “Call them lil niggas and tell them to come in here and handle their business. I need all this shit packed up and in the new spot before the night ends,” Skip said when he walked back into the room.

  “You really think we need to do all that bruh?” Viper asked.

  “I really don’t know but we’ll have the answer soon enough. It’s better to be safe than sorry,” Skip replied.

  “Yeah, that’s true,” Viper replied with a nod.

  That was another thing that he missed about Amore. Her intuition was something serious and she always told him when something felt off. Viper didn’t always listen to her, but she was always right. She had that same eerie feeling the day they got locked up, but he just brushed her off. Viper found himself thinking about her more since he was home and he was ready to see her. Since he wasn’t where he wanted to be just yet, he was waiting until he had just a little more to offer.

  “ Bruh, it’s no way in hell you can fit all this shit in your house but it can’t stay here either,” Jordon said to Trillion over the phone.

  The days, weeks and months passed rapidly and Amore was now in her ninth month of pregnancy. She was due any day now and they were only playing the waiting game. Trillion loved his penthouse, but it was clear
that he couldn’t stay there forever. Finding a house was harder than they thought it would be and they hadn’t had any luck yet.

  Amore had a baby shower and she had way more gifts than they anticipated. And if that wasn’t bad enough, the warehouse was being flooded with even more gifts being sent by people that they didn’t even know. Everybody wanted Trillion to promote their business, so they all sent baby clothes and other items that they were hoping he’d use for his daughter. On top of the shipments that they got there daily, Jordon was losing his mind.

  “I know cuz but I don’t have no more room at my house for nothing. One of the spare rooms is filled with baby shit and we turned the other room into the baby’s nursery. People are weird as fuck. I would never send a gift to somebody that I don’t know. That shit is crazy,” Trillion replied as he pulled up to his father’s house. Tristyn had stayed the night over there and he was picking her up and bringing her to go see Leah.

  “Shit, I can’t blame them for trying. Everybody is trying to put their business on the map,” Jordon said.

  “I know but I can’t promote it all. I’m already stressed the fuck out. I don’t need nothing else on my plate,” Trillion replied.

  “What’s going on with the house hunting? Y’all still ain’t seen nothing y’all like yet?” Jordon asked.

  “Man, you already know how I am. I’m good with a room, a kitchen and a bathroom. Amore is trying to get a restaurant styled kitchen and a covered patio. Tristyn wants a pool and a doghouse, even though she doesn’t have a dog. It’s because of them that we haven’t found anything yet. They don’t like shit,” Trillion fussed.

  “Boy, you’re about to be living up in the house with all females. I already feel bad for you. Erica and Jazz used to drive me crazy,” Jordon laughed.

  “Speaking of Erica, what’s going on with y’all?” Trillion asked.

  “Not a damn thing. She be running to my mama and Jackie with all that crying and shit, but I’m over it. I don’t want to hear nothing unless she’s ready to come at me correct,” Jordon replied.