Hood (25 page)

I’m the pride of the hood! All these other niggas fall short!

Heard a nigga stuck Hood? It was on the ball court!

If he ain’t a G then DON’T match him with me!

I’m so strapped it’s silly! I sold packs to willies!

Dre can have the jewelry, throw backs and fitteds!

Get knocked he gone rat like Po, Cat, and Nicky!

A million dollars in ya hands—

what’s power to you?

But if he tellin on his man—

what’s a coward to you?

You on ya muthafuckin grind!

what’s a shower to you?

Don’t let the money change you, it do what you allow it to do!

Hood hunted for Dreko in every rat hole he could think of in the vicinity of Cypress Arms. But that grimy nigga had misted up from the neighborhood, nowhere to be found. Everywhere Hood went he left a clear message for his partner in crime. “Tell that nigga I’ma dead him.” He wasn’t even tryna sneak up on that bitch. He was coming straight at his boy, Glock on cock, aimed for his heart.

Midnight found Hood searching a joint on Blake Avenue where Dreko liked to chill. He stomped through the whole place. His eyes crawled all over the back rooms. He even bust up in the bathroom looking for him. That nigga wasn’t there, but his homo thug friend Frenchie was. Hood caught him standing in front of a urinal holding his dick in his hand.

He stepped up and cracked his Glock up against that nigga’s nose.

“Where he be?”

Frenchie was shook. “I don’t know, man. I swear to God, I don’t know.”

Hood forced Frenchie’s head back, the barrel of his piece pressed center mass to the cat’s forehead. “I’ma ask you that shit again. Where—”

The 911 signal sounded on Hood’s cell. He gun-mushed Frenchie in the grill and stepped back.

“Yo.”

He heard deep gulping sounds. Heaving cries. Panic and grief.

“Hood…” It was Zena. “They got ’em Hood…” her voice was weak. She was moaning like she had been tortured.

“Who?” Hood demanded. “They got who?”

Zena sobbed. Her cries were bottomless. Drug up from the pit of her soul.

“My baby…” she wailed. “Oh, God. They…killed…my…
baby
. And my brother…” she whimpered. “They got Sackie, too, Hood.”

Hood listened, growing cold as Zena gulped and panted, trying to catch her breath. “They burnt both of them up,” she wailed pitifully. “My whole fuckin family is dead!”

With my brain on another terrain I’m tryna muffle the pain,

’Cause me and the hood is one and the same…

“AH, SHIT…” FRESH
rage rose in Hood as he stood across the street watching the firemen and paramedics coming in and out of Sackie’s building. He forced himself into a zone, steeled against the aggression and fury that swelled in his heart.

The coroner’s crew had just brought out two body bags. One tiny and one big. Zena was sitting in the back of a police car with a woman Hood recognized as Miss Baker’s gun-packing older sister. They were crying and hugging each other as a female officer wrote down some information on a pad.

The streets had been full of onlookers when Hood rolled up. He saw families with small kids wrapped in blankets, bigger kids standing around crying in pajamas, and elderly people sitting on benches and clutching each other while they wondered about their life posssessions that remained trapped behind the walls of the smoky five-story apartment building.

Hood had moved quietly and slipped through the crowd, blending in easily with everybody else. By listening to the chatter around him, he learned that the neighbors had gotten worried when they smelled smoke coming from Sackie’s apartment. Knowing that a baby lived there, several men had rushed to the door and tried to open it, but they were forced back by intense black smoke. By the time the firemen arrived, flames were already shooting from some of Sackie’s windows and everybody in the whole damn building had to be evacuated.

“What you know ’bout this?” Hood asked, turning to Lil Jay, who had spotted him and come over to stand beside him.

Lil Jay shrugged. He looked shook in the face. “Nothing except that it’s fucked up. I bitched with Sackie all the time man, but on the real I had love for that cat. He wasn’t no herb nigga. He was the real truth.”

Hood nodded then squirted spit through his teeth and thrust his hands in his pockets.

“Man,” Lil Jay complained, “shit ain’t the same as it was when the niggas of old days was running the Ville. Xanbar and Kraft and them down-ass cats. Remember how we used to do it up in Fat Daddy’s shop? These niggas out here now ain’t no gangstas, money. They just crazy. Niggas so scared of this
one
muthafucka they do anything they told. Pussies runnin on pure fear. Even me. That’s why everybody was so glad to see you back on the street.”

“Fear?”

Lil Jay laughed. “Nigga you know. Why you think so many dudes was out here living the shook life when you came down off the Rock? Ya boy’s a fuckin psycho! If Sackie fried up in that crib then your partner was prolly the one who lit the match. He gave a
fuck
about his own baby being up in there. That’s how that nigga be. He ain’t nothing like you, Hood. Just cause he’ll kill a nigga don’t mean he fit to run no street business. There’s rules for everything you do man, even out here. Dreko just ain’t never followed none.”

Then Lil Jay added quietly. “He better watch his head though. There’s a whole lotta cats who wanna see that shit get rocked.”

“Then why ain’t none of them niggas step up then? Dreko ain’t been hiding nowhere. He been playing this game right out in the open. Just like always. What the fuck them niggas been waiting on?”

Lil Jay laughed bitterly. “We been waiting on a street savior man. Somebody ten times badder than Dreko to ride in and save all our shook asses. Shit. You don’t know? We been waiting on
you.
”

Ten minutes later Hood was back on the streets. Back on his hunt.

He’d run across a lot of young D.W.I.T. soldiers on they grind, and since Dreko wasn’t nowhere to be found he knew his boy was traveling light. He prolly had two, no more than three gorillas rolling with him. That would put the battle odds at roughly four to one. Light shit. Hood could come out way on top.

He walked all the way through Baller’s Paradise with no luck. Dreko liked to get his dick sucked in the back rooms, but hadn’t a soul seen him come through the door tonight. Crossing Livonia Avenue, Hood zipped toward the Stank Mic and stepped inside the vestibule fifteen minutes later.

“What it be like?”

Reem Raw was coming out of the main lounge. He dapped Hood with love, then looked at him and grinned.

“What’s good? You ready to shit on the mic tonight? We got some good—”

The fury on Hood’s face stopped Reem cold.

“Yo, nigga, what up? You got a fuckin problem?” Reem swirled his fitted cap around backwards and touched his piece. “Well tell ya boy where it at! We can take care of that shit real quick. Just gimme the name. Tell me who it is and ya boy is straight airing that ass.”

“Dreko been through here?”

Reem snorted, “Dreko?” A sinister mask fell over his face. “Man, I’ll
bite
that bitch snitch if he ever sticks his grill anywhere near here. You gunning for
that
nigga then he’s as good as dead. But I’ll tell you what,” Reem said, craning his neck as he signaled his boys who were standing on point in the main lounge, “Why’on’t you bless the stage for me and stank up the mic right quick. Lemme send one of my crews out on that mission for you. Me and my boys’ll take care of that little problem you got on ya hands, man. We’ll do it for free, too. No charge. All love.”

“I’m good,” Hood said, dapping his boy then heading for the door. This fury was way too big to pass off. Hood was getting this one in for himself.

Back on the streets, Hood’s rage was reignited. He swung back past Baller’s Paradise again and this time he saw a white Range Rover parked outside. “Yeah, nigga,” he growled, pulling up beside it and double-parking. Inside, the music was banging and the lights were low. Waitresses in T-shirts and thongs walked around in high heels, serving drinks. Ballers chilled in booths running game, and strippers worked the poles selling that used gushy.

Hood walked through the club moving like a panther, gun in hand. Dreko was nowhere to be seen. Hood had just ducked into the hallway that led to the back rooms when Black stepped in front of him, grinning.

“’Sup, Hood. What you know good, boss? Ya boy a lil busy right now, man. He gone need a few minutes.”

Hood nodded and turned away, then whirled back around and cracked Black square in the temple. Twice. That nigga folded like a card table. Hood stepped right over him and swung the door open, and what he saw froze his heart.

Dreko’s back was to him. He was standing spread-eagle against the wall, naked. He was deep in the pat-down position, but there wasn’t a cop in sight as he moaned out loud and his body trembled.

Hood stepped inside then cursed in surprise, and Dreko glanced over his shoulder.

Their eyes locked and both men froze.

Hood stared as the buttons on the chick’s skirt and blouse clanked against each other, her neck jutting like a pigeon’s as she tongued and licked outta Dreko’s ass, tossing his salad for all she was worth.

“Shit!” Dreko screamed. He whirled around and almost knocked her to the ground. Hood cocked his pistol and Dreko was on the move. Hollering, he snatched the female up by her hair, holding her against him and using her body as a shield.

“Wait muthafucka!” he yelled. He kicked his pants aside and cursed again. Yoking the woman, he kept her close, his head directly behind hers. He pressed his back to the wall as he inched toward the door.

“Hold up, man! Let’s talk, my nigga! Lemme tell you about this shit!”

The woman reached back and grabbed Dreko around the waist. She hugged him close to her, defiance in her mad eyes.

“You put that gun down, Lamont!” Marjay demanded. Her face was sweaty and one of her breasts jiggled as it hung outside her shirt. “I will
whip
your ass! This boy been helping me! He gimme everything I need so you just leave him alone!”

Hood was blinded. “Mama,” he muttered. She stood there glaring at him and looking just like Moo used to look with that little red dot beneath her eye.

Pain was on him as his eyes shifted to Dreko. “You grimy fuckin bitch. Nigga you gots to die!”

Hood aimed to fire, but there was nowhere safe to hit him. Everywhere he could have tagged Dreko, his bullets would have also struck Marjay. But when the sound of gunfire boomed in the room, it wasn’t because it came from Hood’s gat.

The round hit him from behind, in the top of his left arm and below his shoulder, spinning him around.

Hood went down to one knee. He turned and fired with his right arm extended. He dropped Black with one shot. But before the doljah hit the ground Dreko was out the door backward, still gripping Marjay in front of him.

Hood pulled himself up and staggered out the door behind them. The music was loud and his arm was dead. He let it dangle as he ran, following Dreko through an exit door.

“Hold the fuck up!” Dreko begged him, one flight up. He was going up the stairs backward, close-yoking the now terrified Marjay. He ran up another flight, still begging. “I been taking care of this bitch all because of you! If it wasn’t for me she’d a been dead by now!”

Hood chased him, mindless. Marjay yelped and hollered as she struggled to keep up with Dreko. Her titty jiggled. Her feet back-pedaled. His forearm dug into her throat. Hood took another flight, and then another, and was almost on their asses.

Dreko burst through a doorway at the top of the sixth flight of steps. Blood streamed down Hood’s useless arm and dripped from his fingers. He felt the cool breeze sweep down the stairs even before he made it to the top. The door slammed just as he reached it. He pushed it open and stepped out onto the roof, then aimed his gat again.

“Man!! Can you put that muthafuckin shit down so we can talk about this!?!” Dreko was pissing scared. Breathing hard. Stink sweat ran down his naked brown body and glistened under the moonlight. He wiped his eyes in Marjay’s hair, then gripped her tighter with his left arm and held out his right hand, pleading. “C’mon, Hood. We brothers, man. We always been brothers. We can talk about this!”

Hood fired.

Dreko yelped, taking a bullet straight through his palm.

“Yo what the fuck is you
doing
?” he screamed. He backed up, shaking his bloody hand. “She’s just a bitch man! Just another fuckin bitch!”

Hood moved closer and aimed again.

“Don’t fuckin shoot me!” Dreko cried out. He gripped Marjay and crouched behind her, bending his knees. “Man, just don’t shoot me!”

Hood fired again.

The bullet whizzed past Marjay’s head.

“Bitch!” Dreko ducked down much lower and cursed.

Hood glimpsed his silhouette and fired again. Dreko flinched. The round passed through Marjay’s thigh and sank into Dreko’s right shoulder.

Marjay screamed and they both went down on the pebbled rooftop bleeding. And then Hood was on Dreko’s ass. He stuck his gat in his pocket and smashed his fist into Dreko’s nose, breaking it.

Blood ran from both men as they fought on the roof like wild animals, both of them wounded but both still fierce.

It was hard fighting a naked man, but Hood put in work.

Dreko did too. They threw down with a death wish.

Dreko fought to drag Hood over toward the edge of the roof, than grabbed the front of Hood’s jacket and slung him over the low railing. Hood sailed clean over, but with his good arm locked around Dreko’s neck the momentum carried his boy over with him too.

They struggled briefly on the narrow ledge. Ignoring his wounded hand, Dreko clutched Hood in the chest and tried to push him over.

Hood held on tight to the metal rail and stomped down hard on Dreko’s bare foot. Then he lifted his leg high and thrust his boot deep into his boy’s groin, sending his dick and balls way back toward his asshole.

Dreko shrieked like a kicked dog. He grabbed for his dick and went down, his sweaty feet slipping off the edge of the roof. His knees scraped against the side of the ledge and he lunged for the pebble-laced tarpaper in desperation. Panting, he braced himself on one elbow and grasped Hood’s limp arm with his good hand, then held on and tried to save his grimy, useless life.

“Please, man,” Dreko begged. His eyes were wild and scared. Fear ran off him in stink, sweaty waves.

Hood grunted in pain, his dead arm now alive with agony.

“H- h-hold on,” Hood panted. The weight of his boy almost pulled his shoulder out of its socket but there was no way in fuck he was letting go of that metal railing. “Just hold on, man…”

Grimacing against the fire burning in his shoulder, Hood lifted his right leg and swung it over until he was straddling the rail with a foot on both sides. Then he slid his right foot between the bars and hooked the toe of his boot halfway back in.

“Don’t let me go,” Dreko grunted in a voice trembling with fear. Sweat dripped from his body as he gripped both the edge of the roof and Hood’s injured arm. “Don’t fuckin let me go.”

“I won’t,” Hood promised.

Squeezing the railing between his knees with just the strength in his legs, Hood released his hand-hold and slid his fingers into the front pocket of his hoody. He came out holding his gat and he pressed that shit right against Dreko’s forehead.

“Yo!” Dreko cried out, his body straining as his legs dangled six stories above the pavement. “Man what the fuck is you doing???”

For a brief second Hood wondered the same thing. The platinum grill in Dreko’s mouth glinted as his boy grimaced in fear.