The Double Cross

by Anna J.

  I was hoping the takeover would be civil, but I was sure my brother was not going to take this sitting down. We would have to cleverly phase him out of the operation altogether eventually. That was a chance I was willing to take, and I just hoped I wouldn’t have to body his ass in the process.

  “I’m almost out of here, little brother,” he managed to say as he tried to get himself together. “Graduation is only a few months off. I have to get you prepared,” was his response, completely moving past the Chantel issue.

  I really didn’t feel like getting into this shit with him about it. I looked at him like he was crazy. He was graduating to become a dope fiend? Our parents were going to be so hurt when they found out, but I damn sure wasn’t going to be the one to tell them. He’d have to figure that shit out on his own.

  As he leaned up to take in more of the product, I quickly packed what I needed, taking another brick for myself to flip, and I recorded all but the extra brick in my phone to tell Chantel later. I was so disappointed, but this wasn’t a fair game. Sometimes the kingdom had to be overthrown. Sometimes it was by whoever was next in line. Let the chips fall where they may.

  When I got back to the dorm, my dormmate was bagging up the last of what we had left and recording transactions for Chantel. We kept thorough books, and I loved that we were on the same page. I never had to double back behind him, and vice versa. We had an open and honest friendship, and we were both in this to gain. He was loyal, and I appreciated him for that.

  “It may be time to rise up, Goon,” I informed him as I unloaded the product. “Big brother is in a bad place, and if he isn’t careful, he might mess it up for all of us.”

  As I played back to him what I had witnessed, I couldn’t help but become sad. I was shocked by it, and I wasn’t ready for the reality of what was about to happen. Goon understood all too well what I was feeling. He grew up in that environment, so it wasn’t new to him.

  We had started calling him Goon because of the way he played on the court. When he had the ball, he was out of control, dunking on people like crazy. His footwork was ridiculous, and the speed on him was supernatural. He was virtually untouchable and had scouts vying for him like crazy. There was no doubt he would be drafted in the NBA.

  He wouldn’t be able to move dope in the NBA, though, so I was preparing myself for him to go. I cherished what I had found in our friendship, and I wanted to get the team as strong as I could before his time was up. Loyalty like his was scarce, and he would truly be missed.

  As I recalled what happened at my brother’s spot, he was in disbelief. How could this happen? He was the one that taught us the game, and then he turned around and got caught up in it. We saw firsthand the dropout and drop-dead rate of students that got hooked on the shit we pushed. We’d only been doing it for a little over a year at this point, and already some of our classmates were missing for one reason or another or didn’t make it back from spring break. I witnessed a few pass out at poolside when we were in Miami, so I knew the shit we had was serious. Which was why we never sampled it ourselves. There was no way I was about to be doped out and drugged up. We stuck with only smoking weed-packed blunts that we rolled ourselves. We were too cautious to trust anyone else with our shit. We knew we wouldn’t fuck each other over, so that’s how we moved. Kept that shit amongst us. My brother put us in a weird space that we didn’t like being in. The only thing we could do was eliminate the problem.

  “Let’s just sleep on it tonight before we make a sound decision. This is family we’re dealing with, not just some Joe Blow from off the street. It needs to be handled differently than we would with someone we didn’t care about,” he expressed as he checked the weight of the bricks I just brought in. “Also, you need to speak with Chantel about OG. She said his books ain’t adding up and haven’t been for a few weeks now. We also have an extra brick. What’s this for?”

  I explained to him that my brother was so high he didn’t even know I had it. He was concerned that it might mess up his count, but the way it looked, his shit was already messed up, and we would have to prepare to straighten his shit out so that we could remain on point. I took the information he had for me regarding his count and then went to hit Chantel for the update.

  OG wasn’t ready for this type of game. I knew that as soon as we put him on, but he was a friend of Goon’s, so we gave him a shot. Goon agreed that he didn’t have an issue with letting him go if need be, so we would just handle him accordingly. Hopefully, it was just a misunderstanding, but we would definitely see.

  It felt like a lot of shit was dumped on me all at once, but I was a problem solver. Once I had all the information I needed, I would know exactly what to do.

  Vice

  Because I’m A Good Friend

  So, I know how this shit must look to you, but on the realest shit ever, I don’t give a fuck. When I became friends with Selah and Skye, I vowed to take every bitch to their grave that crossed them in the slightest way, be it friend or foe. I was dead serious. Sajdah had always been a damn hater, but Chase had to be handled delicately. I had nothing but time on my hands, and I was determined to see what the deal was with him and Sajdah. As far as I was concerned, those two had nothing to discuss at all. He was my best friend’s man, and she was the only twin that he should be concerned with.

  I must say, God always put me in the right place at the right time. I just so happened to be in Center City and see these two nut jobs down there. They weren’t walking together hand in hand and shit. Sajdah was a little smarter than to not be so obvious in broad daylight. To the clueless, it would just look like they were two people downtown at the same time on a weekday afternoon. It didn’t even look like they knew each other. I knew better than that.

  Just so happened, I was enjoying a little lunch right across the street from the jewelry store I watched her go into, then shortly after, he went in. They spent some time in there and then left the same way—her first, and then him. I couldn’t grab a pic of them together, but I made sure I got pics of them at the same location, time stamped just minutes apart. Oh, I was definitely building a nice portfolio for these fuckers because I wanted them all the way caught with no way to squirm out of it. Pictures and video have never told a lie.

  I packed my lunch away quickly and trailed behind him a little as he made his way back down the street, no bag in hand to indicate he made a purchase. As luck would have it, we were parked in the same lot, so I hopped in my car and waited for him to bust a move. When he pulled out, I pulled out. When he switched lanes, I switched lanes, being sure to stay a car or so back so that it wasn’t obvious that I was following him. He took me all the way out of the city, and that’s when I found out where he lived. I made sure to store the number of his house and a picture of it on my phone for later use. Stalking came naturally to me, and if I had to camp outside this bitch every day for the next year, I would. He was not about to play my homegirl and get away with that shit.

  It could be that it was nothing at all and I was reading too much into it, but I saw the way he hugged up on Sajdah that night. You don’t touch people that you’re just friends with like that. Try that lie with someone who doesn’t know the whole truth.

  I parked my car down the street to see who would show up after me. Chase saw me around, I’m sure, but he didn’t really know who I was for real. I was the one to watch out for out of the entire crew. I saw everything at all times. I waited for about a half hour, then I crept down to the condo I saw him pull into. First glance didn’t produce any cameras on the property, but that didn’t mean that the neighbors didn’t have any. I still kept it very cautious as I got close enough to zoom in on the license plate and the keypad that was attached to his door. I wasn’t exactly sure how I was going to use these flicks, but I had them in the tuck just in case it was necessary for me to pull them out. Satisfied that I hadn’t seen anything suspicious, I tipped back to my car and made my way back down to familiar territory.

  Shit was just too sq
ueaky clean with him for me. I needed to know about his past so that I could handle him properly. I knew a few dudes off his team, but them soldiers were tight-lipped when it came to him. That was a good thing, and I wasn’t completely mad about it. Loyalty is hard to find nowadays, especially when the person in charge could take out your entire family with a text message. They were right to fear for their life if they valued what was dear to their hearts. There was a weak link in every chain, though. Someone was bound to feel like they were being treated unfairly and had nothing to lose. That was the one that I was looking for. The one who thought he was Superman. The one that would let me know the real tea. I was willing to give up the pussy to get it. That’s the kind of friend I am. A quick fuck for quick information has more power than you think.

  I had my eye on this one dude they called Sniper for a minute now. I dug in his pockets a few times last summer, but I never gave up the box. Let’s just say he taste-tested the menu but never got to the full course. He let me do that shit to him five times, so he was just an easy target that I got a nut and a buck from when I was bored out of my mind. I never really had any other use for him before now. He had a baby mom that I didn’t feel like dealing with, and he tested his product here and there, so I wasn’t dealing with that shit either. He would probably get suspicious if I showed interest now, so I would have to let him think he came to me. It was a control thing with men that had no clue, but I was ready to play the game.

  As luck would have it, when I made a right on Woodland Avenue, I saw his raggedy ass standing outside of Sammiches, this sandwich shop that sold the best stuffed turkey burgers in South West. He was looking more raggedy than usual as I peeped the scene before spinning the block again because there was never any parking right there. Maybe he was doing more than testing the product nowadays. Either way, I needed to see what I could get out of him while I could.

  By the time I got past the medical center and around the block, I didn’t see him anymore, but knowing him, he was headed out the Ville to move product. That’s where most of the drug dealers and drug users hung at. That bitch Shanna that I didn’t like lived out there too, so I had to move with caution. I fucking hated that she was even cool with Selah, but I might have been able to use her to my advantage.

  As I made my way over to the projects, my mind was really on what was best for my friend. Did she even deserve a dude like Chase when she had so many other options? He was a fucking scumbag as far as I was concerned, and I really felt like, if given the chance, he would fuck the entire crew behind her back and not say a damn word if we didn’t.

  That’s when that shit clicked. I was going about this entirely the wrong way. If I was going to really put my pussy on the line for this bitch, it had to be done right. I was taking the scenic route when the expressway was right in my face.

  Busting a left at the gas station on 54th and Elmwood, I headed back to where I followed Chase to begin with and hopped on I-76 at the University City entrance. He didn’t know how close Selah and I were in real life. I wasn’t even sure how much she told him about us, but I was good at everything I did. I promise I can sell fire to the devil, so this was going to be easy at best. I had to catch the big fish but keep myself in the clear in the process.

  Rush hour traffic was a whole mess, but I sat patiently and drove like I had some sense until I got back to his door again. I was happy to see that his car was still there because I would have been salty as shit had he left before I got there. I didn’t even know what I was going to say to him. I had to let him believe that he and I were on the same page if he was going to trust me enough to tell me what I needed to know.

  I pulled up in an empty space a little farther down from his door but on the same lot, just in case some shit popped off. For some reason, I was feeling brave and unbothered. I could see who was coming and going from my vantage point, and I was able to see some random woman leaving from his door that wasn’t Selah or Sajdah. This dude had more shit going on than I thought, which would make this entire sting that much easier. I snapped a few pics of her to add to the collection but allowed her time to get in her vehicle and leave before I went up to his door. I didn’t need any witnesses to see me coming and going.

  I stood outside his door to listen for more voices, but it was quiet on the inside. I did notice that he had a doorbell camera, only because my mom had the same one on her door, which meant there were other outdoor cameras that I couldn’t see at the moment. I wasn’t too worried about that. Chase struck me as the type that had a lot of traffic in and out, and he probably wouldn’t want Selah to know I was there anywhere.

  I tossed it back and forth in my mind about what I was really doing there. I could easily just mind my damn business, but I knew for a fact that if it were the opposite situation, Selah would go all the way out for me.

  I rang the bell before I changed my mind. I could hear him shuffling around a little on the other side before he got to the door. The hesitation before opening the door took forever, because either he knew who I was, or he didn’t and was wondering why I was there. I pushed him back and stepped inside, closing the door behind me. The look on his face was both amusing and worrisome at the same time.

  “So, you think you’re just going to play in my friend’s face, huh?” I asked, leaning back against the door and crossing my arms under my breasts, waiting for the lie.

  From what I could see, the place was very nicely decorated. He definitely wasn’t like your typical hood boy. He had a little class with his shit. Clearly, he was the one running the business.

  “Who are you again?” he asked, a slight smile tugging at his full lips.

  I had never realized how handsome Chase was. I never really saw him close up like this. I had to tell my body to simmer down before I was wrapped around him. I could definitely see what had Selah all head over heels with him. He was gorgeous.

  “Vice,” I offered as I stepped around him and made my way farther into the house. I didn’t see any obvious signs of a girl being there, aside from actually seeing one leave the premises. He was good at this shit.

  He stayed in his spot, watching me walk around some. No person is just going to let a total stranger come into their house and roam freely, so he had to know me to some extent.

  “So, to what do I owe the pleasure of this visit?” he asked, leaning against the door himself now, with a calm expression on his face.

  I turned to look at him, and I wondered how much he really loved my friend. He was already fucking her sister and apparently a few other randoms. Where did his loyalty lie?

  “I’m watching you. I see how you’re moving. Selah really isn’t to be played with,” I warned him as I walked back over to him and stood breasts to chest.

  The smirk never left his face. I promise the heat that radiated between us had me breaking out in a sweat. I had to stay focused, but my inner thot was starting to seep out. I needed to leave.

  “You’re watching me, you say,” he responded, licking his lips.

  I couldn’t stop myself from imagining his tongue in other places.

  “What you watching me for?” he asked, reaching out and running the back of his fingers across my erect nipples. The sensation sent a shock right down to my clit. This guy was dangerous. “Seems like you’re the one that needs to be looked after. I didn’t invite you here.”

  For the first time ever, I was speechless. I knew what my mission was, but he was throwing me off guard. Selah was my girl! There was no way I could do her the way Sajdah was, but he was so damn tempting. The way she talked about the dick-down, it definitely made you want to test it out. I was stuck between making a clean break and testing the damn goods. What kind of friend was I? Low key, I was no better than her messy-ass sister.

  “If you not letting me in, love, you might as well leave,” he said in a tone low enough for just me to hear, as if someone else were home.

  My body felt like it was on fire, but my damn legs wouldn’t move.

  “I w
on’t say a word to Selah. Scout’s honor,” he said with a devilish smile on his face that made him even harder to resist.

  I swear I got the slimeball of the decade award for this shit here. I was wrong on so many levels. Letting my eyes take in his entire body, I was impressed with the muscle definition I could see pressed against his T-shirt. He had a nice, meaty package that poked out in his sweatpants, just begging for me to grab it. Even his manicured toes in his Adidas flip flops looked suckable. He had my weak ass, and he knew it. I don’t even remember putting up a real fight.

  Before I knew what was happening, I was upstairs, asshole naked in his shower, getting beat down from the back. He had a strong grip on my hair right at the scalp, just the way I liked it, and had my back arched so deep I thought my spine would snap in the middle. He completely filled me up, and my greedy ass was taking it like a champ. He was talking all kinds of ignorant, dirty shit to me that took my orgasm to the next level as he lightly choked my neck from the back and grinded deep into me, feeling like he was in the pit of my stomach. He made me promise to keep our secret as I exploded over and over again. I couldn’t even look at him when we were done, the same sly smirk still on his handsome face.

  As I drove all the way back to the hood, I sat in silence, not believing what I had done. That shit just changed the game, and I had to definitely make sure moving forward that Sajdah’s dumb ass got caught up. Selah could not know that I got to experience that yummy dick she was always bragging about. Just thinking about what happened still had me pulsating and on fire, and I wanted more.

  As I pulled up to the block, I saw the little honey dip that I broke off sometimes outside. I motioned for him to come to my house as I went inside. I couldn’t get Chase again for round two, so he would have to do for now. I was such a horrible friend, and it was heartbreaking. I just wasn’t about to get caught out there, though.