Hood Misfits, Volume 1 (16 page)

“Oh my fuckin' God. How much, Gina? How much to make you fuckin' go away?” The woman looked at me once again then grimaced like I was a bum or something.

I kept trying to stop the blood with the tissue she gave me.

“Fifty
G
s.”

“What the fuck?” the woman aggressively whispered.

“You got it, Dr. Lewis. We both know you do.”

“I don't have that kind of money just lying around.”

“Write me a check and check on my baby, and I'll be gone, Mama. You won't see me no more. No, better yet, transfer me some money to this account.”

Gina handed the woman a piece of paper and she looked like she was about to have a heart attack. She snatched the paper from Gina's hand and stormed from the exam room and came back a few minutes later with a check.

“I put the fuckin' money there, and here's some more in a check form. Don't ever come back here, Gina.”

Gina took it and shoved it in her bra before taking her pants and underwear off to get on the table.

Sure enough, Gina was pregnant. She squeezed my hand then clapped. We talked about baby names and how she was gon' tell Big Jake he was going to be a daddy.

All the while my heart was beating a mile a minute because I was still scared shitless after what had happened with Pookie.

For the first time I heard my daddy's voice.
“Shit 'bout to get really real, baby girl. That nigga coming for you. You got Jenkins' blood. I ain't here to protect you, but you better not let no nigga take yo' life without fighting for it.”

I looked around hoping I could see him, but I didn't. Only heard him as if he was sitting right beside me. I didn't want to seem crazy, so I didn't answer him back like I normally did for my mama.

Gina's mama told her she was about twelve to thirteen weeks along. When Gina heard the baby's heartbeat she started to cry.

Her mama still looked like she was repulsed. “Do you even know who the fuckin' daddy is?”

I knew she had just heard us talking about Big Jake so she had to have been skeptical that Gina really knew who her baby daddy was.

“Naw. But I don't know who my daddy is either. So we both hoes, Mama.”

Her mama didn't say anything for a long time. She just looked like she wanted Gina to get as far away from her as she could.

I didn't know what to think. To think her mama was a doctor and would put her own daughter out confused me. I mean, you expected to hear shit like that from chicks who mama was fulla shit or those who were in the street themselves, but not a damn doctor. And she thought she was so much better than me and Gina. I could tell because of the way she kept her nose turned up when she looked at me.

My train of thought was broken when Gina's phone rang out. I knew it was Dame, the way her eyes widened and the way she hopped on the table.

“Come on, Ray-Ray. We gotta go.”

She pulled on her clothes quick, and we hightailed it out of the back of her mama's office.

“Don't ever come back here, Gina,” her mama yelled behind us.

“I won't, bitch,” Gina mumbled under her breath.

The door slammed behind us, and we started speed-walking down a side street until we got back to the main one. It wasn't that hot out, but my nerves had me sweating.

Gina's phone kept ringing nonstop. I knew if Dame was calling her, then my phone was next.

I reached in my back pocket, and my heart dropped. “My phone is gone,” I said in a panic.

“What?”

“My phone is gone. It must have fallen out when we ran from Pookie.”

“Oh shit. Oh shit. Oh shit. Daddy got trackers on these phones. You know, those GPS shits?” She beat the side of her head as she walked around in a circle. “Come on. We gotta find a way to the safe house.”

“Safe house?”

“Trigga and Big Jake got a place that nobody know about. If we can get to there, we safe, but that nigga got eyes everywhere and—”

Before the words could leave her mouth, a big black Hummer pulled up to the side of the street where we were walking.

The back door opened. I was wishing it was Trigga and Big Jake in there with Dame, but it wasn't. It was just Dame, Pookie, and another nigga from the house name Blackout. Another nigga I had cut up when I first got there, and the same one that was in the room with Sasha when I first got to the house. They called him Blackout because that nigga was so black he looked like a shadow or oil spot.

Blackout was driving, and Pookie was sitting in the back holding a bloody shirt over his face. Blackout hopped out the truck and threw both me and Gina in the back. She landed on the floor next to Dame's feet.

Dame kicked her so hard in the face, her scream got stuck in her throat. I didn't even have to look at Dame's face to know what was about to happen. I didn't even get a chance to think about what was going to happen. He punched me straight in my face as soon as my body hit the seat.

Everything went black.

 

 

When I woke up, it was to Gina's screams and pleas for Dame not to hit her no more. I moaned out as I opened my eyes.

“Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh! I'm sorry. I wasn't trying to run, I swear,” Gina cried out.

My vision was blurry, but I could still make that we weren't in any room in the actual house. Every nigga and bitch on Dame's team was surrounding him and Gina who was on her knees in the middle of a cold concrete floor, the same floor I was on.

“Bitch, you must be outta your muthafuckin' mind to leave this muthafucka without me telling you.”

“I didn't. I thought you told Sasha—”

“Don't put my name in it, bitch!” Sasha's voice rang out. “I ain't got shit to do with it.”

I wanted to reach out and touch that bitch, but Dame had grabbed a handful of my hair and was dragging me to the middle of the floor where Gina was. I didn't even have time to realize I was finally in the underworld, the fuckin' basement.

“So you just gon' not answer the muthafuckin' phone I gave you?”

I looked up into the eyes of a fuckin' madman.

He had his belt wrapped around his fist, his face twisted like he had a deformity. He punched me in my stomach, and blood and bile flew out of my mouth. “You trying to run from me, my diamond? Huh?”

I shook my head, answering as quickly as I could. I knew he was going to hit me again. “No,” I screamed out.

But that didn't help. He just kicked me this time then snatched me up by my hair and threw me face first into the concrete wall.

I staggered, tried to get on my feet, and the back of his hand caught my face, sending me crashing to the floor again.

“I wasn't trying to run,” I managed to get out. I didn't think I could be understood, because pools of blood dropped from my mouth and my lips were heavy like they had cement injected in them.

My jaw, once again, felt like it had come unhinged. Dame was a big swolle nigga. No way he should have been beating my ass, punching me in my face, as big as his hands were.

“Oh, and, Daddy, this bitch down there is pregnant,” Sasha told.

“Pregnant? You pregnant, bitch?” he asked, leaning over Gina. “How the fuck you gon' make my money with a baby in you? You gon' get rid of that shit.”

“No,” Gina whined low.

I knew that was a mistake as soon as the words left her mouth.

“What the fuck you say to me?”

“No. I'm not getting rid of my baby.”

I was semiconscious on the floor, but I could see when Dame walked over and kicked Gina in her ribs. When she fell over, he brought his big foot down as hard as he could into her stomach.

“You ain't gotta get rid of it, bitch,” he ranted, kicking her again. “I will.”

Tears fell from my eyes for her, not my own pain, but because she had just heard her baby's heartbeat. Judging by the bloodcurdling scream she let out, I knew Big Jake would never know he was so close to being a daddy.

Dame kept beating and stomping her. I knew he was going to kill her. When his steel-toe boot connected with her face and her head snapped back, I found strength from somewhere and got up.

As fast as I could, I threw my body over hers, which seemed to piss him off further. He unrolled the thick leather belt from his hand and started to beat both of us with it. I would have given anything just to hear Gina scream, just one scream, to let me know she was still alive, but I got nothing. All I heard was my own screams, and all I saw was the faces of niggas and bitches sneering and laughing.

I saw that bitch Sasha standing with folded arms next to Pookie, and I knew in that moment, me and Gina had been set up.

The leather belt landed across my naked body. I was sure my body was looking like Jesus looked when they beat him before putting him on that cross.

I still didn't move from Gina's body. Even as I tried to hold my hand up to keep the hits from getting to me, I kept her covered as much as I could.

Even as I talked to my mama, I couldn't help but wonder where Trigga and Big Jake were. They were noticeably absent, and after so many kicks, hits, and punches, so was I.

“Hand me that stash.”

“Which one, bro?” Jake said, moving quickly behind me.

“Nigga, any of them, man! Move fast, an' secure that bitch's mouth.”

Jake tossed me the stash then bent down to send his fist forward, cracking teeth, then snatched it back before tying the mouthpiece. “I did. Damn. You know I'm just the guard. This shit is your thang, punk.”

“Yeah, yeah, man.” I laughed then squeezed my trigga.

Me and Big Jake moved around a group of trees, clearing up our footsteps and lacing the land with bags of dust, lime, and other products.

 

 

See, everything was on point a couple of hours ago after getting orders from Dame. Jake and I was out, running errands, making sure bossman's networks were giving us the right units of drugs to bring back to the house.

We left that spot, heading to several PBs houses, when both our cells went off. Since Jake was driving, I clicked on the message, which was sent by one of “my eyes” in the house. And the shit I saw moved up the plan. Shit was popping off in the underworld. The image looked like this was some World Star shit. All I heard was niggas and bitches
ooing
and
aahing
, shouting out various
damns
and whatnot.

As the camera turned, I saw that nigga Blackout flashing nothing but his whites as he gassed up Dame, who was kicking Gina and Diamond like they wasn't human. Everything in me got mad quiet and shit. I was heated. Like I was no longer in the car, nothing but that image was playing. I memorized everything, and everyone.

Sasha's clown face was grinning, her hand on her hip, as she stood next to Pookie. Nothing but her pink, flabby peeling lips whispered in his ear before she shouted out that Gina was knocked up.

My mouth straight up dropped when she said that shit. Gina was breedin'? I listened while that broad Sasha then shouted out some shit that Diamond was sneaking out, tryin'a runaway and shit. That's when Blackout and Pookie threw my name in there, saying they see me talkin' to Gina and Ray-Ray all the time. On hearing that, Dame kicked the fuck outta Gina.

“Fuck, nah!” I shouted.

His foot landed into her stomach as he stomped her. It was like I could feel each blow.

Gina's and Ray-Ray's screams filled the car and had a nigga's jaw clenched tight. The screen shook as my eyes tried to get a better angle than it zoomed in. With one final blow that I saw Dame give to Diamond then Gina's head, my cell cracked in my hand then flew into the dashboard, almost breaking.

I yelled for Jake to pull over but wasn't nothing to tell him to do, because he already was pulled over looking at his cell, gripping the steering wheel of his car.

Jake yelled, “We got set the fuck up! They set our fam up, Trig! That's what the fuck this is about!”

My head shook. I slowly pushed my hoodie back in disbelief, listening and watching until the end. My eyes ended the message with more intel about what was going on, telling us that they had heard Sasha lie to Diamond and Gina to get them out the house. They had also heard that Gina had sliced up Pookie's face then ran off to some doctor, where they got caught. All this shit was sloppy and messy as fuck. Now they were in the underworld. Wasn't shit I could do to save them from “the seven punishments,” which was already going down as we watched. I was ready to place my blade against each nigga's throat.

Jake's growling yell took me back to the car and outta my mind. “Gina's having a baby, man? And that motherfucka got my girl down there tryin'a kill her and it!”

The fact that the car was moving again made me realize Jake was ready to kill.

I reached over and swerved the car over on the side of the road to get him to stop before we both got killed. “Pump them brakes, nigga! Chill the fuck out. I need to think, homie. You know we can't run up in there. Our plan would be all the way done. Feel me? Naw, we gonna get them bitches back.

“See, Sasha thinks no one knows about her weakness, but I got her fuckin' ass. And Pookie?” I let out a harsh laugh as I rubbed my hands together. “I got that nigga and Blackout too. See, you don't fuck wit' what ya think ya know about. I let my hand be shown too much. Time to close that shit up and play this shit all the way forward. Feel me?”

Jake stared at me confused, hurt, and all the way pissed off. I could tell all he wanted to do was to get back to Gina, and I could feel him on that shit. I wanted to get back to them too. Wanted to take all them fuckas out and snatch up Diamond and Gina. Everything had to happen in due time, and now this shit was being sped up.

“What the fuck we 'bout to do, man? What we gonna do? Ain't shit we can do. Dame crazy, man. We ain't making it out this shit without some of us falling an', I ain't about to let Gina be that one.”

On some real shit, I played all the angles out in my head, and everything Jake was saying was true. See, I had my plan too, not just the group shit. Dame had not only fucked up once, but he'd just fucked up for a second time. Shit, the fact that everyone was at Dame's taking pieces of Gina's and Diamond's flesh didn't feel like some accident, not with us out here running simple-shit errands. That nigga Dame had specifically sent me and Big Jake on this errand run after he got a phone call that had to be from one of them niggas.

Nah. Felt like we were being played and manipulated. I dug in my jacket and pulled out my pop's and mom's journals. I only carried them on simple assignments when I know I'm going straight back to my crib. I memorized every line in each book. Shit was second nature to me now, so I knew what page to fall on. Licking my lips, a name stuck out for me, one I had been hearing on the streets as a small kid and could never get to—Phenom.

“Chill and listen. That nigga is done. He's in his last hours. Check it. You eva hear 'bout the invisible street king? A nigga known for having mad Glocks and any kind of weapon you want. Nigga can make senators run game for him?” I asked, while looking at the words my pops wrote.

“Yeah, man, dude is like a legend, got hands across the nation, they say. Phenom. What about him?” Jake stepped close to me.

It was like my pops knew his time was coming. Closing my parents' books, I put them back in my jacket and glanced at Jake. “We 'bout to meet that nigga in the flesh. I got a way to get to him. We make a statement to that bitch Sasha, bring chaos. Then I go get us our way out.”

“A'ight, bro. Whatever we gotta do to turn that nigga and his bitches into fertilizer,” Jake growled.

Game time was on. Everything I did so far had a reason to it. If the unit Dame was linked up to came for us, best believe, I could work out something. The LKs wanted me on their side, as did the Jamaicans and Nigerians. It was always a way out in something, so I guess it was good that what Jake was telling me ran through my head. 'Cuz a nigga had to get at this plan and wasn't about to let some fear shit mess up Jake's mental. We all were getting out of here some way, or we would become the masters and controllers of the overall game.

“Check it. Dame just got us in the game with big leaders. This is what we do. We got cards, so we make sure those big bosses want us. Feel me? The politicians, the old money, we make sure they want us, and we use them like they will use us. That's our fallback until we can hide, but right now, since that ratchet, Beyoncé wannabe, loose-pussy-lip bitch Sasha wanna set some bitches up, with Pookie and Blackout helping, yeah, I got some shit for them.”

I pulled out a black notebook that I had strapped to the inside of my hoodie. I also only carried it when I was out on duty. Then I'd hid that shit in a way that even those niggas who watched me never saw. Thumbing my nose, I flipped through it.

Jake's emotions were getting to me. It had my mind working, sifting through the plan like a game, and it fueled me. I lived for the type of shit Dame, Pookie, Sasha, and Blackout was pulling. Gave me lessons and made me stay tight on my shit. Which was why I needed to calm my homie down, or else the plan would crumbled. And then I'd have to go back to plan B, C, and D—me and my Glock taking out Dame by myself.

“What we doing, bro?” Jake asked, the veins in his forehead visible.

“Look, I need you to chill—Take out your gun and load it then unload it. This ol' cat in the streets taught me that, to calm me down when I used to blow up and shit. Do that and listen. Bodies 'bout to drop. Sasha got money and product stashed she stole from Dame herself. She also got a nigga who she meets with in the streets to sell for her. She's mad close to him; I never used to know why, but I do now.”

I brought up pictures on my cell to show Jake who I was speaking on. “Nigga is her brother, and he's foul as fuck. We get to him, take him out, drop Pookie's prints, then we go to Pookie's. The more on him, the more pain he can get. Feel me? And you know Pookie got stash, so we lace it with Sasha's shit. And then we snatch up that nigga's cousin. He's not even from L.A. Bullets to his head, Sasha's prints. All of that, and we leave Dame a nice note—DOA. Let him see that these bitches been playing him up the middle. Then we link Blackout to all of it too. Feel me?”

Jake sat back in his seat flexing his gun. He loaded it then took the bullets out, and repeated the process. He slammed his head against the headrest. “A'ight, but we doing something to Blackout's peeps too. He has some cousins in the street who are goons too. Take them out.”

“You know it. Hide this shit, and let's get this going. Everything we do gotta work where Dame can't get the math of how long we been gone. Bet?”

Jake started the car and pulled off with a grunt. “Bet.”

Riding through the
A
, we hit up all of Dame's PBs to make our time look good. Stashing our ride, one of Dame's PBs was a chick Jake and I used to help, so she covered us and didn't ask any questions. She always trusted in what we did, so we knew we could trust her with this cover. She also hated all them niggas in Dame's house, including Dame, so it was all good.

Yamamoto Tsunetomo's
The Book of the Samurai
said some shit like, “if a man was mad strict, then the people he commanded would be untrustworthy, and if he over-trusted them, then they would become uncontrollable.” Dame had been all of that, which was why his house was falling.

We went through the plan as fast as we could. Both Jake and I had items that belonged to our enemy, so we used what we could, lacing Pookie's and Blackout's place, then snatching some of their people. House to house we went. We'd tie up some niggas, made them grip Glocks then take out people, repeating the process over and over while we rode through the
A
in Pookie's brother's ride, dropping bodies left and right.

I stood over bitches recording some of what we did, just to save it for Sasha, Pookie, and Blackout. Our masks covered our faces, as well as our hoodies, but I didn't give a fuck if they knew who we were, since they were dead to me anyway. Shit was sublime for me, and from the look on Jake's face, shit was just as good for him too. Everything we did, we did for Gina and Diamond, and to fix the plan.

When it came to Sasha's place, shit got a little hard. We circled the abandoned two-level house. I circled the back, taking the porch stairs, and landing in the main bedroom. Jake went through the basement. Place smelled like ass, pussy, shit, and piss. Everywhere I stepped, fresh or dead roaches crunched under my kicks.

A four-poled bed was in front of me. Dirty sheets with come spots lay crumbled over the huge mattress, dried condom wrappers lay on the bed and the floor, and clothes were everywhere. Damn sure didn't know how the fuck anyone but someone homeless or on that shit could live in here. Which made a perfect hideout spot. Sasha had learned a lot being Dame's bitch, but now she was about to learn what it was like to be mine.

Jake appeared down the hall ahead of me, in the kitchen. He gave me a signal, telling me the place was empty, then we wrapped around downstairs. We moved quietly, listening, until we heard that nigga blasting his music and yelling about some video game. Loud stomps from his feet made the ceiling above us rumble.

I quietly climbed the stairs. Trash was everywhere, graffiti on the wall. Just for the fuck of it, I picked some trash up and threw it to get that fool's attention, but his TV was so loud, he didn't hear shit.

I rounded the corner and saw Big Jake watching from the corner of the room. His mask covered him up, making him look like a monster in darkness, and his gloved hands held his silver Glock.

I walked to the side and kicked a chair down. “'S up, nigga? Damn. You ain't 'bout shit if you ain't hear me and my partna.” I laughed.

Sasha's brother sat up fast on the couch. His brown eyes locked on me. He shook his head. Nigga looked just like a male twin of Sasha, 'cept nigga was huge like a wrestler. He had locks like me, but they were matted, looking like stuffed red and brown caterpillars. His sagging jeans were dusty as fuck, and his shoes were off his feet. The sound of him cracking his knuckles made me grin, ready for battle. Was I scared? Naw. Did I worry I couldn't take him down? Fuck, no. I loved challenges. This nigga was about to be a fun kill.