Young-Minded Hustler (18 page)

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Authors: Tysha

BOOK: Young-Minded Hustler
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“Hey, I told y'all niggas my head is pounding so bring that shit down. Raequan, tell me what went down,” Roberts directed.
Raequan was hesitant to tell Roberts the truth. No one had to know it was his mother who started the impending war with the McGee's. All Roberts needed to know was that his enemies had found his hiding spot and his plan of attack failed.
“All I know is Prince was all rah-rah about knowing you put me up to fuckin' with him while we were down. Then, when I get to da crib my mom's is all up in my face 'bout that same shit. She said her and Shy fell out about it and that you better have a plan of survival 'cause ya days are numbered,” Raequan said as dramatically as possible. He was really overplaying his lie. “I don't know what the fuck happened. Ya boy over dere probably ran to Shy 'cause he ain't get to hit it before they put his ass in the hospital.”
“Ah, fuck you, man. Ain't nobody on that shit. If anybody fucked up it was your bitch ass. It wouldn't be the first time you bitched out about some shit,” Dwayne defended himself. He had no idea Prince knew who he was or he'd have stayed clear of Shy when her son was around.
Roberts looked at Raequan and waited for the real story. The tale he'd just told had far too many holes in it to be believable. “Calm down. Both of y'all fucked up the mission so stop spewing bullshit. Raequan, you got a lot of nerve coming up in my home and lying to my face. Clearly you can't think fast on your feet 'cause you just made that shit up.” Roberts gave Raequan the look of death. “If the McGee clan wants to play, tell them to come with it. I put Legend's ass six feet under and will do the same to his bitch and all of those bastards he left behind.”
Dwayne and Raequan didn't have the confidence like their leader. Melvin had killed Dwayne's brother and he hated the man's memory too. He knew harming Shy and her kids wouldn't bring his brother Silk back so he failed to see the point of it all. So far, Prince had proved himself to be his father's child. Dwayne was scared of the boy. He was reckless.
Raequan knew Prince was crazy. He didn't give a fuck who got in his way but when it came to protecting his mother, Prince was like a pit bull: evil and fearless. Going to war against Prince was a mistake. Not only was he dangerous, his uncle had his back. The two of them together would eat Roberts up, slowly. Raequan had grown tired of being in Prince's shadow. It was time to become a man with an identity of his own. Raequan reasoned that if all else failed, he'd switch teams, again.
Roberts already had a plan to finally get his revenge on the McGee family. It was time for them to be as miserable as he'd been for seven years.
“Shy better have life insurance on all of her kids,” Roberts said mindlessly. “She's gonna be putting in a claim real soon.”
Chapter 27
I Can't Do This Thing Called Life Without You
It was early Saturday morning and Step It Up Cuts was crowded. Darrin and Jarell Houston were two of the top barbers in the city. Prince, Jayden, and Quincy were loyal customers of the brothers. The once neighborhood barbers opened their first barbershop a year ago. They were already turning a profit. Prince and Jayden grew up together with Darrin and Jarell. The twins introduced Quincy to their friends and he also became a loyal customer. The McGee twins and their cousin held an eight o'clock outstanding appointment every Saturday morning for haircuts and shaves. Once they're groomed and looking their best, Prince, Jayden, and Quincy headed to the YMCA to play basketball.
“So what's the plan for today? Are we trying to play together or not?” Jayden asked while they searched for a parking spot. From the looks of the parking lot, the Y was busting with activity.
“I don't care as long as we don't have to wait forever to get on the court,” Prince replied from the back seat. He'd been texting with Monica since they left the barbershop.
Quincy circled the parking lot for the third time and finally found an empty parking spot. He pulled in between a new mint-green Lexus and a white on white old school Impala. Old school cars were one of Quincy's interests. He never saw one that didn't grab his attention. Owning a fleet of late-model Chevys, Lincolns, and Cadillac's was one of Quincy's goals in life.
“That ride is clean as hell. Man, look at the rims on it.” Quincy beamed with interest. He walked around the car as if he were a customer at a car dealership. It took great restraint for him not to run his hand alongside the classic automobile as he admired its detail.
“That joint is a beast.” Prince smiled. “I can see myself pushing this ride.”
“Hey, bro, speaking of rides, what did the shop say about yours?” Jayden looked his brother in the eyes and felt as if he were standing in front of a mirror. They both rocked Caesar haircuts. Their six o'clock shadow beards were outlined and trimmed to perfection. Even those who'd known them their entire lives would have had trouble telling them apart. Their mother, baby sister, and Quincy always knew which twin they were addressing. Even their girlfriends mistook them for one another from time to time.
“I don't even want to talk about it. That bitch nigga is costing me a lot of money. The engine is shot and basically totaled out. I got my man checkin' for me something like this joint right here. This Impala is clean as hell.” Prince followed Quincy, admiring the inside of the car. From their vantage point, it was obvious that the white leather was as soft as butter. They both wished the owner would appear and offer them a tour of his weekend toy.
“Have you seen him since that day?” Quincy assumed Raequan was in hiding since Prince hadn't been arrested for murder.
“Hell no. That bitch is lucky I ain't seen his ass. I'm a fuck that boy up when I catch up with his ass,” Prince fussed angrily.
Quincy regretted asking the question. When Prince started using bad grammar, he was mad and ready to pop off. Quincy had noticed that his Aunt Shy did the same thing.
“It's almost ten; let's get in here or we'll never get on the court.” Jayden abruptly changed the subject. He heard the anger in his brother's voice too.
“Cool, I'm ready,” Prince agreed in a calm voice.
They grabbed their gym bags and headed for the front entrance. Prince walked ahead of Jayden and Quincy when the walk sign signaled it was safe to cross the street. His attention was drawn to his phone when a text message came through. Prince assumed it was Monica again and opted to read it later. Quincy lagged behind a few steps Jayden. He had difficulty tearing himself away from the car. Like Prince, his cell alerted him to a new text. The message was cryptic and anonymous. It read: dis my perfect dream cum tru, who gon run to da rescue now? No signature was on the message and the number was blocked. Quincy figured someone sent it to him by accident and paid it no mind. That was a mistake. Even if he had made something of the text message, there was no way he could have prevented what happened next.
Prince reached the sidewalk with Jayden on his heels when the sound of screeching tires came out of nowhere. An old, beat-up dark-colored car flew around the street corner practically on two wheels. The car sped past them, barely missing Quincy. The driver never slowed down and quickly disappeared around the bend.
“What the fuck was that?” Quincy's heart raced a mile a minute. There's no doubt he would've been killed had the car hit him.
“Who the hell was that?”
Before Jayden could respond to Prince's question, the same car came back at them from the opposite direction. The passenger's arm was extended with gun in hand. Both he and the driver wore black masks over their faces. Gunshots rang out, scaring everyone within earshot.
“Get down!” Prince yelled.
Jayden and Quincy hit the ground together. Prince dove on top of them in an attempt to shield their bodies with his own. People were screaming and running for cover. It felt like forever before the shooter emptied his clip in their direction. Once it was over, Prince heard someone scream out in fear and agony.
“Are y'all straight?” Prince asked, out of breath. He stood up and noticed blood on his clothes, sending him into panic mode. “Jay! Q! Are you hit?” Prince's question was met with silence at first. His heart was about to beat out of his chest.
“I'm straight, man. That was some shit.” Quincy got up from the ground.
Jayden lay at his brother's feet in a pool of his own blood. He was unconscious and hit bad. Prince stood over his Jayden in shock. His mind told him to move but his body wouldn't follow orders. Quincy fell to his knees in tears. He checked Jayden for a pulse.
“He's still breathing. Prince, call 911,” Quincy ordered as he removed his shirt to help stop the blood. “Prince!” Quincy punched Prince in the leg. His attempt to snap Prince out of his daze worked. Prince pulled his cell out and dialed 911. After giving their location, the operator told Prince to apply pressure to the wounds and to cover his brother with a jacket or blanket to prevent him from going into shock. Once it hit him that Jayden had just been shot, Prince kneeled over him and begged God not to take his brother from him.
Quincy's shirt soaked up the blood of the person he was closest to on earth. He was terrified for Jayden. Just the thought of losing his best friend terrified Quincy. The force behind his eyes pushed a rapid stream of tears down Quincy's face. He'd never been so terrified in his entire life.
“Come on, cuz, fight, man, fight,” Quincy cried over Jayden.
“Hold on, li'l bro, they coming. We got you, Jay, don't you let go,” Prince begged through sorrow and fear in his heart. He had been there before. Prince was reliving the entire scene with their father all over again. He was that ten-year-old boy holding his dying hero in his arms. Fear caused his body to seize up on him. “Jayden, I got you, man. I got you.” Prince heard the sirens in the distance minutes after the emergency call was placed. The police station was only three blocks up the street and the hospital was five minutes away. Help reached them quickly.
“Sir, let me get to him please.” The voice came from a female emergency response worker. She gently placed her hand on Quincy's shoulder when she spoke. “I'll take care of him, I promise.” Quincy rose to his feet and helped Prince do the same. They held on to each other for dear life, both frightened beyond belief. Prince and Quincy watched as Jayden was loaded into the back of an ambulance with a portable heart monitor, oxygen machine, and IVs attached to his fragile body.
“Excuse me, sir, are you hurt?” An officer directed his question to Quincy. Blood was running down his left arm. Quincy was so focused on Jayden that he hadn't realized he'd been hit. One of the bullets had gone straight into his bicep. Quincy was in shock, oblivious to the pain. “It looks like you were wounded as well. Why don't you let them stop the bleeding before we get you to the hospital, okay?”
Prince's heart dropped when he saw that Quincy had also been shot. How did a morning of haircuts and basketball turn into gunshots and hospitals? Nothing made any sense to Prince. At that moment, all he knew was his cousin needed help and his identical twin brother might die. He felt so alone. Prince knew he had a duty to take care of both his brother and cousin. Being the oldest of the three, it had been his responsibility to look out for them since they were little boys. It was an obligation he took seriously.
“No, I'm fine,” Quincy barked at the officer.
“Q, just let them stop you from bleeding and then we'll go straight to the hospital. I gotta know that you're okay, man, please,” Prince said, near tears. He took a deep breath trying to contain himself. If he was strong, Quincy would be too. Prince prayed he had it in him to be strong enough for Quincy. What he felt inside didn't matter.
“Can I ask you some questions while they get him patched up?” the young police officer requested of Prince.
Prince snarled at the man. He had nothing to say to him or any other cop. Experience had taught him they were not to be trusted. They all carried a license to kill without any accountability. The streets would spit up the shooter's name soon enough. When it did, Prince would serve his own brand of justice.
“All that's gonna have to wait. My brother needs me as soon as possible, I can feel him,” Prince said defiantly. “If they're done with my cousin, we need to go up the hill. I'm sure you'll follow us anyway.” Prince walked around the officer toward Quincy. It was taking longer than it should have to stop a flesh wound from bleeding. Another bad feeling washed over Prince. Quincy's situation was more serious than the emergency workers first thought. There was a bullet still in his arm. He would probably require surgery. Prince took the news in stride. His demeanor seemed robotic, void of any emotion. “Can I drive my cousin to the hospital?”
The EMT started to protest but she could see that Prince was on the verge of losing it. Being an identical twin herself, she understood the bond the brothers shared. She knew the young man before her was doing his best to be resilient in the face of a traumatic event. Her heart went out to both Prince and Quincy.
“That will be fine. My partner and I will meet you at the emergency entrance.”
“Quincy, let's go see about Jay and get you right,” Prince said gently as he led his little cousin away.
 
 
Shy stood in the middle of the walk-in closet agonizing over which pair of jeans to wear with what top. She had under an hour to make her decision and get dressed. Her date was expected at noon and Shy didn't want to make a bad impression by not being ready when he arrived. Shy owned at least fifty pairs of jeans, some still had price tags, but not one pair seemed right for a simple lunch date.
“Miss Shy, you aren't dressed yet?” Brianna giggled. She took a seat on the bench in front of the bed.
“I don't have anything to wear.” Shy sighed.
“What?” Brianna was in disbelief. The closet looked as if it would explode if another piece of clothing was stuffed into it. Shy owned so many shoes that she could've opened a shoe store. “Miss Shy, I can't believe you. Most of this stuff hasn't been worn, the price tags are still on them.” Brianna looked around and decided to take matters into her own hands. “You have a seat, let me find something cute.”
Shy left the closet feeling flustered. She usually wasn't so indecisive. Her nervousness was a surprise to her. Shy was always a confident woman and seldom made to feel uncomfortable or insecure. For some reason, it was important that she made a good impression on Karl. She looked forward to spending time with him and wanted to look her best.
“Here you go, Miss Shy. This pair of dark denim 7 jeans will go perfect with this Baby Phat powder-pink tube top and these Jessica Simpson pink heels. I know the shoes are a bolder shade of pink, but trust me, it works,” Brianna explained with confidence in her choice. She held up the clothes for Shy to visualize herself in it. “Or, if you don't want to show off your curves, you can go with this white linen maxi dress and your royal purple flats from Bakers with the matching hobo bag. What do you think?”
“I think you should've been up here dressing me an hour ago.” Shy laughed. Shy picked the maxi dress for comfort. It was hot outside and a lady does not like to perspire, especially in the presence of a man.
“Good pick, now get moving. You got about twenty minutes to get dressed and do your makeup. Good thing your hair is braided up for the summer. Just pull your micros up into a ponytail and you'll be good to go,” Brianna instructed as she headed for the door. She wanted to give Shy privacy, plus she needed to check on Princess. Brianna was babysitting while Shy went to lunch. Princess was very talkative but never gave Brianna, or Monica, any grief when they sat for her. The twins were like big sisters to Princess.
Brianna found Princess stretched out across her bed watching the Nick Jr. channel. Her brothers and their girlfriends had treated her to Cedar Point Amusement Park the day before and Princess was still tired. She had the time of her life riding rides, eating junk, and running around. It was the five hours they spent at the waterpark that had Princess relaxing the day away.

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