End of the Line (9 page)

Tone went to the door of the apartment he and his brother had been hustling out of. “Yeah, who is it?”

“It’s Meka.”

He unlocked the door and opened it while clutching his .45. “What up, Meka?”

“What up, Tone?” Meka was a customer that J-Rite had introduced them to. Since J-Rite no longer had a spot, Meka would cop from them on the regular. “I need a fifty, and here go that ten dollars I owe you.”

“Good looking. I thought you forgot about that.”

“Naw, baby, y’all show me so much love and respect even though I smoke. Y’all don’t treat me like a fiend.”

“We only as big as you make us, girl,” Tone served her.

“Oh yeah, I almost forgot to tell you it’s this nigga name Tiny running around robbing customers.”

“What the fuck? Good looking on that intel,” Tone replied with that look his brother was familiar with as he let her out. “But don’t even worry ’bout it. You’re always safe when you come to our spot.”

“No problem, bro. I’ll take care of it, but right now, I gotta go hook up with Raven at the mall,” Mario said, rolling up a blunt.

“What’s up with y’all?”

“Come on now, you know me. I’m really feeling baby girl.”

“Yeah, all right, good luck with that. But remember, we got real shit to do.”

After his brother left Tone sat on the couch and rolled a blunt as well. He had to make sure that his plan was thought out before he made his move. He didn’t know that his brother had caught strong feelings for Raven and much like J-Rite felt, he didn’t think it was a good idea for them to be mixing business and pleasure.
Fuck! I gotta get this asshole that’s robbing niggas. He might try to hit my customers or my spot. Then it’s really gonna be a problem in the streets of Gun Ru.

* * *

Mario walked in the mall and saw Raven sitting down where she’d said they’d meet. His heart started beating fast. She made him nervous for some strange reason. “Hey, girl, I should have brought you flowers.”

This caught her off guard. He’d never acted like this before. She gave him a strange look.
Fuck wrong with him?
“Nigga, are you crazy?”

“Naw; why you say that?”

“Why are you talking ’bout flowers?”

“What, you don’t like flowers?”

“I mean, yeah, but it sounds funny coming from you.”

“I mean, you putting it out there, and I want you to know I’m noticing it.”

“Is it something you wanna tell me?”

“I mean . . . yeah. A nigga like me really feeling you.”

Raven was flattered. “I think it’s cool you feel like that, but I don’t feel the same way. I like you like a brother. You don’t hate me now, do you?”

“Hell, naw! I still got mad love for you. I just thought it was something it wasn’t. So let’s just go to the movie and chill.” He was hurt but didn’t want her to know. The last thing the hard-core hood warrior wanted was pity.

As they were walking, a female holding a cup bumped into Raven and spilled pop on her. “Damn, bitch! You made me spill my pop!” the female lashed out ready to buck.

Before she could say anything else, Raven attacked. Enraged, she punched her in the face, knocking her to the floor. She then stomped the helpless girl everywhere her foot would land.

A seemingly random guy saw what was going on. Rushing over, he roughly shoved Raven away, who fell back and tried to catch her balance and get right back into the brutal mix. Before the guy knew what was coming next, Mario was all over him. Attempting to be some sort of Captain Save a Ho, it had backfired. The stranger too fell to the floor and started getting kicked in the face until he, like the female, became unconscious.

“I’m ’bout to kill this bitch!” Raven yelled as she continued her tirade.

As Mario watched Raven in action this made him like her more.

* * *

J-Rite woke up in an empty bed. She rolled a blunt and started smoking.
I wonder where the hell Dino at?
She looked at her phone to see if she had any missed calls, but there were none.
We gotta work this out. I don’t wanna lose a good nigga over some bullshit.
She dialed his phone, and the call went to voice mail. She dialed Leesa’s number; it went to voice mail as well. Before she got out of bed, her phone rang. It was Leesa sounding cheerful.

“Hey, girl, what’s up? I just called you!”

“Nothing. Just enjoying life. It feels good to be alive,” she cheerfully responded.

What the fuck wrong with her?
“So, sis, you wanna hook up for lunch?” J-Rite was hoping that she did. Thankfully, she said yes.
I wonder what the hell is going on with Leesa. Maybe she just in a good mood. That’s the way I’m supposed to be. How are Dino and I falling apart? This just doesn’t make sense.

J-Rite got dressed and headed to meet Leesa. On the way, she called Dino but still got no answer. She was thinking about going to do a drive-by to see if he was at his family’s house but didn’t want to seem like she didn’t trust him or she was a stalker.

“What’s up, big sis?” Jessica sat down at the table with Leesa.

“I’m good, what’s up with you?”

“Girl, Dino and I are having problems—a lot of problems. The bad thing is, I don’t know why.”

“Well, did you talk to him about what’s going on?”

“Naw, sis, one of us is always on the move.”

“Okay, Jessica, first thing first; put your big-girl panties on and sit down like adults. But have you ever thought it might just be time to let Dino go? I mean, look at it like this . . . You love him and would do anything for him. But he’s been treating you like shit on a stick. That ain’t right.”

“So you saying end it right now?”

“I ain’t saying that, but you have to know where he stands. Does he want you or not? If not, then for real, for real, move on; fuck playing games!”

“Yeah, you right. As soon as we bump heads, we gonna talk. I got too much shit going on to be chasing his ass, or any nigga, for that matter. Either he with me or fucking against me!”

“Mario, that gots to be Tiny.” Raven blew out weed smoke, watching their intended victim like a hawk.

He’d told Raven what Meka claimed. Once she found out, Raven insisted he take her with him. At first, Mario told her that she couldn’t go. But she told him that since he was copping from them, it was like the guy was stealing from her also. She had a valid point, so he brought her along.

“Yeah, it’s him. It’s gotta be. It’s damn near 90 degrees out here, and this fool rocking a hoodie.”

“So, how we gonna handle it?” Raven asked, really for whatever.

“I’m gonna walk up to the house and tell him to get in the damn van.”

“That ain’t gon’ work.”

“Yeah, it will. I’ma put that Glock in his spine. He ain’t gon’ have a choice.”

“Yeah, whatever you need to do, let’s make it happen.”

Mario got out of the van, casually walking over to the house. “My man, can I get a light from you?”

“Yeah, here you go.” The guy naïvely fumbled in his pocket.

While he was getting his lighter out, Mario stuck the gun in his face. “Put your fucking hands to your side, and you betta not move!”

“Yo, dude, just don’t shoot me, please.” His face showed panic.

“Shut the fuck up!”

“I’m sorry, please just don’t shoot me! Please, I have a family.”

“Get the fuck over here and shut the fuck up! I swear to God I ain’t gonna tell you no more!” Mario vowed, snatching him up by the collar.

“Look, please, you got the wrong person,” he begged and pleaded with tears forming in his eyes.

Mario slapped the guy on the side of the head with the gun. Blood started gushing out of his head. He started yelling for mercy once more. “Shut the fuck up!” Mario fumed, shoving the barrel of the gun in the man’s open mouth. “You weren’t begging when yo’ ass was running round robbing motherfuckers! Now get the fuck in the van!”

“I’m not getting—” he tried to speak one final time.

Before he could finish his statement Mario knocked him out cold with a blow to the jaw. He easily yanked the smaller guy up off the ground, tossing him in the van. “Tie him up,” Mario ordered Raven as he was pulling off from the curb. “I know the perfect spot to take this nigga. We won’t have shit to worry about.” Mario was getting a lot of enjoyment out of this. It had been awhile since he’d done this type of thing. The Detroit-raised lunatic liked getting money, but he felt that just sitting around was making him soft and lazy. Minutes later, they pulled up in front of a run-down apartment building. “We can leave his ass in here.”

Raven seemed like a natural at this. She didn’t have a love for it like Mario, but from her father’s untimely death, she knew that sometimes things had to be handled. They got out, and Mario carried the guy in the building over his shoulder.

“Come on. Let’s take him to the apartment right here,” Mario nodded, referring to the first apartment on the left. Once inside, he threw the man on his stomach.

“I’ll finish this nigga off,” Raven bravely said, placing her gun to the rear of the guy’s head.

“Naw, shorty, any nigga can kill a buster like that, but a real one looks them in the eyes.” Mario turned the guy over, smacking him in the face until he woke up. Regaining consciousness, the guy was startled. As blood dripped down his face, he thought it was a bad dream . . . until he saw Mario and Raven towering over him. “Now put the gun to his head and handle your business.” Mario instantly picked up on her hesitation. “Look, baby, if you want me to, I’ll do it. I don’t want you to do shit you ain’t comfortable with.”

The man they were about to kill was praying that with Raven not being able to do it, they would let him live. Mario had no such thing on his mind.

“Look, all you gotta do is think about something or someone that made you mad, then handle your business.”

Who can I think about?
Raven started to cry. Pointing the gun at the man’s face, she pulled the trigger.

“Damn, baby, three slugs? That was cold-blooded! Let’s get the fuck outta here. I’ma torch the van,” Mario schemed as they walked out of the building.

Raven didn’t know how she was supposed to feel. Caught up in having mixed emotions, the ex-stripper-turned-drug-dealer-now-murderer didn’t know if she should’ve cared or not about the deadly deed she’d just committed.
I gotta call my kids and see if they all right. I hope they better than me right about now.

* * *

“Damn, Rell, you look fucked up!” Dino said to his friend as he sat in a chair next to his hospital bed.

“Fuck you, nigga!”

“Naw, my man, I’m just messing with you. Me and Dre gon’ find out what the hell happened.”

“Fuck you mean what happened? Don’t you mean who did this shit to me and my girl?”

“Yeah, man we got this. So tell me again, what jumped off?” Dino knew there was more to the story than Rell was saying.

“I told you some bitch started hating on my girl for no reason. They started fighting, going at it. Tiffany was winning when a few lames jumped in. It was like four of them. Them bitch niggas just got the best of us. Man, they got Tiffany real good. I mean, dawg, I’m salty. They ain’t even have to do her like that! She in surgery now.”

Rell was always in some beef. One time he didn’t like some guys that stayed around the corner from him, so he claimed one of them robbed him. When Dino and the rest of his homeboys went around there letting them thangs go, they found out the guy that got shot had nothing to do with anything. Rell lied, saying he said the guy kinda looked like the guy that robbed him. Come to find out, he never really got robbed.

“All right, nigga, call me and let me know what’s good. Keep me posted.” Dino got up and walked out the door.
Damn, I hope baby girl be all right. I gotta find out who did this shit. Let me call Dre and see what’s popping.
Dino dialed up Dre as he was getting in the car.
Where the fuck this nigga at?
Dino thought after Dre didn’t answer his phone.
I wonder what the deal is with his weird-acting ass. He been bugging lately . . . like he avoiding me or some shit.

“So now I gotta keep you,” Q joked with Leesa as they were leaving his grandmother’s house.

“Why you say that?” she blushed.

“Besides the fact that I like you, my family loves you. My mother and grandma told me that if we don’t stay together, they gonna boot me out of the klan! And they never liked any of my ex’s.”

“So, you take all your girls home, huh?”

“Hell, naw! Just two; my first date and my son’s mother.”

At first, Leesa was flattered to hear that, but then she became suspicious. “Why just two? What you hiding?”

“What? I ain’t hiding shit! It’s just I haven’t found any other woman that I’ve dated worth taking home. And why you always do that?”

“Do what?” Leesa played the role knowing exactly what Q meant.

“You know what I’m talking about.”

“If I knew, then would I be asking?”

“You always looking for the worst. If you don’t want to fuck with me let me know!” Q meant it looking directly into her in the eyes. The same eyes that he hoped would be the first he saw when he woke up and the last he saw when he went to sleep.

“Hey, Q, I swear it’s not like that. I just always hope for the best but expect the worst.”

“Well, that’s something we gonna have to change.”

“It’s something that I wanna change, but it’s just so hard. I’ve been like that my entire life; skeptical.”

“Well, I want to be with you for the rest of my life, so I’m going to do whatever I have to just to see you happy.”

Leesa started feeling a funny feeling in her stomach.
This nigga must really like me. We been kicking it for a li’l bit, and he ain’t said nothing ’bout the pussy. Any other nigga would have asked for some.
“I want you to know that after Hutch got killed, I thought I’d never be with anybody else. But then you came along and changed that. I’m glad to know that you have the same feelings for me that I have for you. I’ve been unhappy for so long that I didn’t think I would ever find someone to be with me. I guess today is that day.”

* * *

J-Rite and Dino still hadn’t sat down to talk. It seemed that lately they were seeing less and less of each other.
I don’t know what the hell I’ma do about this nigga, but I’m getting tired of this shit!
She went and took a shower. After she got out she was hoping he would be at the house, but she had no such luck. Deciding to lie down for a while, she climbed in the bed not even bothering to put on any clothes. As she was sleeping J-Rite started sweating. Tossing and turning, memories of Mike Mike haunted her. She’d cut him off completely with no verbal or text contact and no more money wired to him. The guilt must have subconsciously kicked in, tormenting her sleep. Feeling someone’s touch, J-Rite opened her eyes seeing the top of Dino’s nuzzled head between her legs. Instantly she cupped the back of his head and started humping his face while gyrating her hips in a small circular motion.

“You love me?” he asked, briefly looking up.

“Yes, very much, bae. Now put that dick in my mouth.”

Dino flashed a big smile, sat up, and took all his clothes off.

She loved the size of his goodness. Just looking at it made her wet. She took ahold of it softly and put it in her mouth. She sucked and slurped like it was the best tasting chocolate Popsicle in the world.

“Damn, J-Rite, baby, this shit on point!” Sounds of his moans filled the air.

“It tastes so good. Let’s 69,” she suggested. Just as she sat on his face her phone began ringing. J-Rite could tell from the personalized ring tone that it was Tone. She stopped sucking on Dino’s dick, reaching for her cell.

“Yo, is you crazy, woman? Don’t answer it,” Dino demanded as he was just getting off into nibbling on her clit.

“Hold up. I gotta. It might be important.”

“What about me? Ain’t I important? Every time I look up, you on the phone or in them streets on some money prowl. I bet it’s Tone. Am I right or what? Matter of fact, you know what, J-Rite? I think you fucking that nigga!”

“You crazy! Is you high or something? I ain’t fucking him.”

“Well, you fucking somebody. And if you ain’t, you might as well start because you won’t be fucking me any more if you answer that damn phone.”

J-Rite wasn’t going to answer it, but since he tried to put his foot down, she decided to answer it.
Who this nigga think he is? Nigga, you ain’t calling shots. You got me twisted.
“Boy, bye. You off the chain!”

“Yeah, what the fuck ever.” Dino stormed in the bathroom, then downstairs to the basement.

Defiantly, she pushed
Talk,
listening to what Tone had to say, then hung up with an attitude with her so-called man. Hutch always taught J-Rite to never let anybody run over her, especially a dude. She knew that she was hurting Dino by being headstrong, but also knew that he was trying to hurt her as well. He wanted her to stop hustling just to soothe his bruised ego, when low key, she’d heard him and his boys were trying to make moves in the street as well.
How can he love me if he doesn’t support me? He didn’t have a problem with me getting money when I was spending it on him. Maybe I’m wrong; maybe he’s right. Hell, can I live? I wish I could just go back to the way things were before I started getting money. It was a lot easier when I was dancing. Maybe I can go back to Detroit and fix things between me and Mike Mike. Fuck, naw! Dino the one on the bullshit. I made that nigga who he is; now he gon’ come fronting on me.
J-Rite was having a personality split with Jessica. She didn’t know what to do.

I gotta get outta this house, I can’t think in here.
She took a quick shower, then left.

* * *

Dino was pissed at the world for the disrespectful way he felt his woman was treating him. His pity party and sulking in the basement was interrupted by an incoming call.
This betta not be this bitch begging me to come back to bed.
“Yeah, what you want?”

“She gone, man,” Rell mumbled in a solemn tone voice.

“Huh? What the fuck is you talking ’bout?” Dino asked, shocked to hear his boy on the other end instead of a remorseful J-Rite.

“My girl, nigga, she’s dead! She’s gone.”

“Say what? Hell, naw! How, man? Damn!”

“Fuck you mean? The doctor said severe head trauma and internal bleeding they couldn’t stop. I’m fucked up, my dude.” Rell started sobbing like a small child.

“Yo, where are you at?”

“I’m at the hospital.”

“All right, nigga, I’m on my way.”
Damn, my peoples need me right now. Shit, I don’t know what the fuck I’d do if I lost J-Rite.
Even though Dino was still cheating with Monique, he loved J-Rite with all his heart. Old girl just gave him the attention that he craved and wasn’t getting from home. Heading up the basement stairs, he called his girl’s name to tell her he was about to break out, but got no answer.
This bitch done fucked around and left!
As much as he loved J-Rite, she made it difficult at times. He believed in his heart that she was messing around on him with Tone. He had even gotten into arguments with Monique about it. Being a bitter jump off, she insisted she was growing weary of discussing the problems that he and the next female were having. Initially, she didn’t mind, but then it seemed that it never stopped.

As Dino drove, he thought about his next move. Pulling up to the hospital he saw Rell standing in the rain looking like death had stolen his spirit. Dino got a lump in his throat. Unlocking the doors, he let Rell in.

“I’m killing the niggas that did this; them and they entire damn family,” Rell angrily vowed, slamming his closed fist inside his palm.

Dino knew that a distraught Rell meant every word. He also knew it was his job to ride with homeboy until the wheels fell off. “I’m right here with you, nigga. I don’t give a fuck who it is! I swear to you on my life, when we find out who did it, they gon’ pay.” Riding in silence, they swerved up to the spot. “Yo, where the fuck Dre at?” he yelled out to Marlon.

“I can’t tell you. I ain’t seen or heard from the nigga.”

“Well, hold it down. Me and Rell ’bout to shoot over to the nigga crib real quick.” Dino had been having a funny feeling about Dre lately. When he did come around or pop up, he acted real strange.
I hope this nigga ain’t out here on some bullshit!

When they pulled up to Dre’s house, he was sitting on the porch. The rain had stopped so he was out enjoying the partial sun. “What’s up, niggas?” Dre said when they stepped on the porch.

“Fuck you mean what’s up? Where the fuck you been?” Rell shouted, throwing his hands up.

“Aww, man, I been chilling, baby, you know.”

“Nigga, is you getting high or something? Why you lookin’ like that and whatnot?” Dino interrogated Dre, already knowing the answer.

“Dawg, hold up. I’m a grown-ass man. I do what the fuck I wanna do! If I wanna get down a li’l, that’s my business.”

“Get down a li’l? Nigga, if you wasn’t my boy I’d bury your ass!” Dino stepped in Dre’s face ready to knock him out if he kept running his mouth.

“What the fuck wrong with you? Tiffany dead, man, now this shit?” Rell lowered his head trying to regain his composure.

Dre couldn’t believe how his life had spiraled out of control. “I’m sorry, y’all. Don’t turn on me. I need y’all.”

“It’s all too much for me right now, but I still got you.” Rell gave him some dap.

This was Dino’s worst nightmare. He never wanted any of his people to be strung out. He always thought they were better than that.
How the fuck this nigga gon’ get hooked on this shit? Don’t he know this the same shit making us rich? He out here on this same bullshit that these fiends on. I can’t let him get too far out there. I gotta put a stop to this shit and put my foot down!
“Nigga, I’ma tell you what, if you keep fucking wit’ that shit, then we done with you!” Dino said, looking at Dre with cold eyes.

How this nigga gonna play me
? “You got a lot of damn nerve to try that shit! I been with you since we was li’l niggas. Now you talking ’bout turning yo’ back on me! Fuck you, nigga. You lucky I don’t take all your shit and smoke it up.”

“I know you just talking that shit ’cause you high. So I’ma let it go.”

“Naw, it ain’t because I’m high. Nigga, you got the perfect life, and you out here fucking it up running with the next bitch!”

“Pump your brakes, nigga. My world don’t concern you.”

“Then my damn business doesn’t concern you.”

“Whatever. Rell, you heard what the fuck I said!”

Dino turned and started walking off the porch. Rell got up and followed. Neither one of them looked back. They couldn’t deal with Dre right now.