Chapter 4 Enzo #2
He stood and we exchanged the bread for my daughter. He remained silent as he kissed both baby girl and Angel on the forehead. He was out the door seconds later and Angel was throwing me a hard glare.
Taking a seat beside her, I got as comfortable as I could. She rolled her eyes before handing over a cap of pills and glass of water.
“Raffy said you’ll be in pain for a while so take these. It’s all we have.” I did like she asked without a fuss. She was still recovering from having Amada, and I wasn’t trying to cause her too much stress.
“Thank you. Don’t even trip on this Ma. Some shit got out of hand at the warehouse. I was caught in the crossfire that’s all. Ain’t no point in overthinking this shit, aight?” She glared my way as if she could see through my lies. My words weren’t trusted at the moment.
“When have you ever known for me to overthink anything Damarius? I just want you to tell me what’s happening. And where is Bentley? You swore you were going to invite him over for dinner so we could finally meet. After all, you made him Amada’s godfather,” she questioned.
Angel knew who Bentley and Kong was, but they had no idea she even existed.
I’d been lying to her ever since she found out I’d been running Zone Four.
If it wasn’t for her uncle’s, she would’ve never known.
Hell, she still don’t know I’m a narc. Her family ain’t play that snitching shit.
Her uncle’s spotted me in one of their old neighborhoods and the hood sung like a canary telling them everything.
One of the many lies I told was me being a pharmacist. That petty shit held her over until she knew the real.
Zone Four was the only zone that had a real pharmacy so her naive ass fell for it.
We were handing out pills, white, rock, and weed.
No one questioned it, not even the force.
Bentley had legalized that damn building and hired real folk in that bitch.
He was smart and knew how to hustle in more ways than one.
A nigga couldn’t help but have envy surging.
“He had something to take care of. I’m gon’ be gone off the map for a lil’ bit too. He asked me to tag along with him for a few months,” I lied adding another one to the mile high pile.
“What?” she shouted! She was on her feet before I could blink. “Amada’s only a month old. What am I supposed to do without you? We have a family for Christ’s sake!”
“If you want me to keep this money flowing, I got to step away for a minute,” I said reasoning with her.
“You couldn’t even give her a year? You begged me to have her Damarius. Why would you abandon us? This isn’t fair to us. Does making money mean more to you than us?” She was handing out twenty-one questions without giving me a chance to speak while those tears resurfaced.
Standing, I pulled her into me and hugged her tightly. Her tears moved me believe it or not. Her and my daughter were the only untainted thing in my life. Losing her or Amada was a no go. I didn’t give a fuck how much I lied and schemed; I treasured them.
“Aye, chill with all that, aight? I’ll kick it ‘round here for a year. If I do, we got to watch how we spend these funds Ma. All that unnecessary spending gon’ put us on the streets. Can you handle that?” I questioned.
My woman and daughter was my heart. I could do without my mama and sister but these two, they got a different side of me.
One that wasn’t so goddamn gutter and out for himself.
I lowkey wanted to keep them under my thumb to protect them better, but I knew exactly what the fuck I had going on. I wanted them nowhere near it.
“I can handle it Papi,” she replied.
“Cool. I got her while you get started on dinner. I’m sorry,” I said kissing her forehead.
All she did was stall a nigga plans. You bets believe them bitches were still in motion though, and I ain’t plan on changing a bitch ass thing. My wheels turned long enough, with something too solid. Playing the shadows was over.
Walking across the parking lot, I hopped in the front seat of the blacked-out Charger. Hicks was also a narc, except his fish were never on Bentley’s level. Because this was initially mine, I gave him everything he needed to know when they reassigned him.
“You was supposed to be here an hour ago Evans,” he tore into me immediately.
“I’m here now, so what we talking ‘bout? It’s gon’ take him a smooth thirty to get on this side. He leaving the warehouse,” I answered.
“Evans, why wouldn’t you just call this in while he’s at his spot? Catching him in the act of distributing the drugs is what we need.”
“That nigga fingerprints ain’t nowhere in that muthafucka.
The most you’ll get is him being there. He don’t play that shit.
However, I planted a couple bricks in his whip.
Ain’t no way of getting up out of that. Even if he go down for a few years, it’s intent to sell.
Don’t put shit else on him but that. Max his sentence or not, I really don’t give a fuck.
The more the better. I got shit to handle,” I confessed.
I could give Angel that year but afterward, it’s up.
That was more than enough time to give myself a makeover and become the nigga I should’ve been from the jump.
Many niggas didn’t know the real and I wasn’t giving it up now that I was in arms reach.
Bentley wasn’t the only nigga that could make muthafuckas move at the drop of a dime.
Digging my fingers into the bag of chips, I listened to Hicks talk my head off.
He wasn’t saying shit I hadn’t already asked or said to myself.
Bentley was a smart nigga but ain’t nobody watch him the way I did.
He became a personal project, and I haven’t dropped the pen yet. Every detail was noted.
“It’s a reason your ass is suspended Evans. You never do shit by the book. I’m all for that underhand shit but not with this nigga,” he complained.
“Doing shit by the books? Nigga are you serious right now? If I did shit by the books, my ass would still be looking for Chief Riggs pat on the back. I made more money in six months than that nigga for his annual salary. He kiss ass, I don’t,” I snapped.
“You kiss ass too. Bentley just don’t know how many times yo’ lips was on his ass, that’s all,” he fired back. I reached back and hit him dead in his shit. What I wasn’t expecting was him following through with one of his own. “Watch it Evans. I ain’t never been one of them,” he warned me.
Nodding, I massaged the area his fist landed wearing a smirk. I underestimated him and he was showing me not to. He was the perfect person to handle Bentley since I couldn’t. Everybody else was gon’ fold but Hicks damn sho wasn’t.
“You got it.” I checked my phone and seen Bentley was finally on the move. “He heading this way. Call yo’ team and look alive. He can’t leave Miami. That’s not our jurisdiction.”
Cranking the car, Hicks pulled out calling up his boys.
He gave them what they needed to go after Bentley, and we were hitting the back roads to reach him faster.
This shit only worked if Hicks team got to Bentley first. Hit his ass with a false ass speeding violation or stolen car bullshit.
Bentley was too headstrong to let anybody pin anything on him, so he was gon’ give pushback fa sho.
That was gon’ be Hicks window, right there.
I gave directions left and right until we finally had eyes on Bentley’s ride.
A mischievous smile cursed my lips as we followed a few cars behind him.
All we needed now was the rest of his boys to get here.
It took a smooth minute for them to catch up but when they did, all sirens were ringing, and traffic was making way.
Hicks played the back to keep me out the way.
“Do yo’ job Hicks and remind them niggas who’s in charge. Oh, and don’t say shit I done told you. Play that shit by the files and nothing more. Let it be known you received an anonymous tip and go from there.”
“I been in the game longer than you. It’s you that went rogue thinking you was bigger than the program nigga, not me. I got this. You sit tight and don’t do shit. You not even supposed to be here!” he lectured me.
Waving him off, I sat cool as a feather as the car came to a stop.
Hicks shot me a look and I threw my hands up.
The last thing I planned on doing was ruining his arrest. I needed Bentley gone off the streets just as much as anyone else.
After all, I’d used his name in Sage Springs for over a year now.
Him actually going there was like adding fuel to a fire.
With Hicks and his boys surrounding him, I watched and enjoyed the show. My smile went from ear to ear as he tried to talk his way out of this. My window was cracked just enough to hear Bentley yelling.
“Nigga, I was doing fifty in a thirty. That ain’t shit to pull me out the car for. Give me my ticket and get on,” he shouted.
“It is and we label that as reckless endangerment. I can’t deny that your eyes are a little hazy as well. Is that weed I smell on your person? Step out the car for me so we can conduct a search,” Hicks ordered. By this time, he’d already stuck his hand in Bentley’s car and opened his door.
“You ain’t searching shit ‘cause I ain’t got shit. Why the hell y’all goofy ass niggas pull me the fuck over anyway?” He was dead set on resisting arrest. I found it to be quite comical.
“Imagine waking up with an anonymous tip on the man you’ve been hunting for years. Bentley Atkins, I heard there’s something that’ll spark our interest in your vehicle. Mind if we take a look?” Hicks questioned.
“You deaf ass bitch. I said it wasn’t shit in that muthafucka so why the hell you still harassing me? As a matter of fact,” Bentley pushed Hicks off him and went to step back in his ride.
Aht, aht. Wrong move nigga.
Hicks threw his body against the car and ordered his boys to get to work. “Y’all know the drill. Tear this muthafucka up,” he said still wearing a smirk.
“Boy that lawsuit ‘bout to add to a nigga value,” Bentley replied.
“I wish you good fortune then,” Hicks said looking my way briefly before giving his attention to his team. “How we looking boys?”
“Jackpot boss,” one of his men said retrieving the brick I placed underneath the driver’s seat.
Hicks cut his eyes in my direction before his smile grew. His focus shifted back to Bentley saying, “I thought you said you ain’t have shit. Damn, Mr. Atkins, we’re going for a ride after all.”
“Boss, we found another one under the passenger seat as well,” another one of his boys stated.
“Man, I don’t know nothing ‘bout that shit. I ain’t never been a dumb nigga. If it took you this long to get a nigga, you got to know this a set up,” Bentley argued.
“Set up or not, this is your vehicle, and the product was found in your possession. Bentley Atkins, you’re under arrest for cocaine trafficking.
You have the right to remain silent, anything you say can and will be used against you in the court of law.
” Hicks hit him with his charge and his Miranda rights.
The look on Bentley’s face had me releasing a hearty laugh.
To hear about it would’ve done justice but to see this shit go down, oh a nigga was thoroughly satisfied.
He was put in one of Hicks boys squad cars ahead of us to keep the distance from me.
Hicks chopped it up with his folk a lil’ bit before rejoining me.
“Cocaine trafficking isn’t what I said Hicks,” I said as he pulled off.
“You know good and goddamn well that wasn’t no fuckin’ intent to sell. Whatever you plan on doing, do it. He might have an attorney that can play the system,” he warned me.
“Nah, he can’t get out of this. I made sure of it. Just trust me nigga.”
Bentley might’ve been the nigga in these streets, but I was the nigga that had folk doing my dirt behind these badges. He’ll never be able to outdo me when it comes to this. All I needed was a way in and his dumbass gave it to me.
Enzo, you outdid yourself this time. Sage Springs is yours nigga.