Chapter 10
Several Weeks later
“I know that ain’t who I think it is,” Mouse joked as I entered the house.
“What’s up, fool?” I asked as I dapped him up.
“Man, I ain’t ever thought we’d see you again. I heard you on Merlot’s shitlist.” TK chuckled as I dapped him up.
I sat down and lit my blunt. They were playing a game of 2k against each other. Mouse was the Houston Rockets, and TK was the Los Angeles Lakers. They were both playing lazily compared to the heated matches we’d get into back in the day.
“I was down, man. After getting shot, I had to go through a couple weeks of physical therapy to make sure shit healed probably and still functions the same.”
“How are you? I heard about the shooting and reached out, but you never hit me back,” Mouse commented as he took a pull of his blunt before locking back into the game.
I removed the blunt from my ear and lit it. Once the smoke had entered my lungs and mellowed my mood, I replied. “I was in the doghouse with Honey and Merlot. I ain’t been looking at my phone much or been in a mood to respond to anybody.”
“We told you how many times to fix your temper and tighten up, but your hardheaded ass continued down this self-destructive path. Shit ain’t cool.” TK shook his head.
With another long pull of the blunt, I tried to find my words. Some things had been weighing heavy on my chest since the night Merlot came to visit my hospital room. The moment he’d revealed the report on Gee’s crew, I regretted letting Honey stay in the room. When she excused herself out of the room, I felt like shit.
“ Marquise, your actions are creating too many issues in my cartel. I love you because you’re my sister’s son, but shit needs to change. On everything I love, you need to get in line or get jumped out.” Merlot’s tone left no room for arguing.
“What do you need me to do?”
“Get your rebellious ass spirit in line. Start by making sure all of those boys in the hospital don’t wake up to see tomorrow. Clean up your messes and come holler at me when you’re done.”
It took a few calls to handle the young boy and Gee. By the end of the following week, they had pictures photoshopped onto those ghetto clouds. It was for the best. It ended a war and made folks put some respect on me as second in command with Merlot’s crew.
“I’m in a tough predicament. This is the most power I’ve ever had in the cartel. I’m damn near running shit, but it’s just… I know if I continue down this path, I’m going to lose the one person I love the most. I already test her limits daily. I don’t think she’d continue to let me do my dirt and come back to her.” I let out a frustrated breath.
“What do you want more? Power in the streets or a woman who loves you more than anybody else?” Mouse asked.
“The answer is easy, but we all know the process of leaving Merlot’s gang.”
TK and Mouse shared a knowing look. Most men died when they brought the idea to Merlot about living a clean lifestyle. Merlot was an old-school gangster. He believed in the code of street ethics. When it came to leaving the family, he got that shit back in blood.
“Look, since Merlot is your blood family, maybe he’ll take it easy on you.” TK’s statement was almost comical. Merlot had never been the “take it easy” type of leader. He loved to make an example of niggas, and I wouldn’t be any different.
“I know what I want to happen. I know I need to put the cartel behind me and make a life with Honey she’d be proud to share with the world.”
My lady was going to take the culinary world by storm. She hadn’t explicitly told me about all the offers coming her way, but I knew they were a huge deal. I had to live a life she could share in the magazines when she became a household name like that one chef who got famous from yelling at contestants on his show. It didn’t matter what household you lived in; someone knew his name. Honey Hix needed to have a man worth a damn by her side when her talents took her to unimaginable heights.
“I’m gon’ do it.”
TK and Mouse both tore their eyes away from the television to look at me. It would have been comical in any other situation. The concern on their features confirmed I’d be on a tough journey to freedom.
“We gon’ pray for you, Marq. This shit gon’ be hard, but you got this. You gon’ be the example of a nigga who did the right thing and was rewarded for it.” TK dapped me up.
“You got enough money set aside to make sure you can transition to a legit job? You’re used to juggling hundreds of thousands of dollars. Can you maintain that lifestyle when you get jumped out?” Mouse always provided a different perspective.
I nodded. “I got a lot put aside. My big hits always went to savings while the little petty shit was my play money.”
“Good shit.” TK nodded.
“When do you think you’ll be able to set that meeting up?” Mouse asked.
“I’m going right now. Once I finish my blunt, I’m gon’ head to the spot. I need to get it done before I change my mind.”
“Fa sho. You gon’ be straight,” TK prophesied.
“I hope so.”
* * *
“What brings you by, Marq?” Uncle Merlot asked as he puffed his cigar into the air.
“I need to go legit.”
He placed the cigar into the glass ashtray and gave me his undivided attention. “You want out of the cartel?”
“Yes, sir.”
“Sir?” he repeated.
The chuckle of amusement made me frown. “What’s funny?”
“You must be serious. You came in here respectfully and addressed me like a man in power. Usually, it’s Unc this or Merlot that.”
“I didn’t want to create any static. I want out.”
“In by blood, out by blood.”
“I know. I’m prepared to hold my own in a fight.” I rolled my shoulders.
“You almost caused a war and now you want out.”
I nodded. “I want to get serious about my lady. The only way I can guarantee her safety is if I’m no longer in the business. It was an easy choice for me. The cartel gave me a thrill, but Honey gives me everything else. I love her. I’m in love with her.”
“Good shit. Give me twenty minutes to set up the room. You survive six minutes with twenty men, and you will be free to go about your business.”
“Fa sho.”
He picked up his phone and made a few calls. I took this time to call my cousin and step out of his office.
“Hello?” Dayari answered.
“Aye, are you busy?” I inquired.
“Not really. What’s up?”
“I’m doing something that may result in me being unable to drive home. If I pay for an Uber, will you drive me home in about thirty minutes? I’ll pay for the Uber back.”
“What’s going on? Where are you?”
“I’ll tell you when you get here.”
“Okay.” She sighed and hung up the phone. I sent her two hundred to her account and the address to book the Uber. She liked the messages, and I put my phone back in my pocket.
“They’re ready for us. Let’s go down and get this over with.”
I nodded and let my mind wander on the stroll to the room. I’d just gotten most motion back in my shoulder and was ready to get it fucked up again for the sake of my relationship. The look in her eyes when she came back into the hospital room was all I needed to get my shit together.
“Are you okay, baby?” I quizzed when she slipped back into the room.
She shook her head as her lip trembled. “I’m not okay, Marquise.” The crack in her voice broke my heart. The fear, pain, and sadness in her eyes made my lungs tighten. I never wanted her to be afraid of me and what I did. I never wanted to cause her pain, yet it seemed like that was all I had done the last couple of weeks.
“I have to go home. I can’t be here with you tonight.”
“What…” The pain in my voice betrayed me.
“I can’t sleep next to you, knowing what you’ve done. This might not be new, but it’s new to me. To know there are literal kids who no longer get to roam the earth because you took it upon yourself to end their…” She covered her mouth and sobbed.
“Man, you knew what the fuck I did before you got with me. I told you people die around me. Don’t make me out to be the villain when your little hot in the twat ass was a willing participant of this relationship back in the day.”
“Really, Marquise?”
“Really, Honey.”
“Text me when they let you out.” She grabbed her purse.
“You not gon’ gimme a goodbye kiss, a hug, nothing?”
“No. I can’t.”
Watching her retreating body leave me alone in the hospital room hurt me deep in my soul. If I wanted to keep her in my life, I had to get out of the streets. I had to.
When we entered the room, the stench of old blood filled my sense of smell. The raggedy walls and stained concrete floors held an eerie vibe. This room was where men went to die. I prayed to a God I’d only recently created a relationship with—thanks to my lady. I prayed to see the sun rise tomorrow. I prayed to see Honey’s smile one more time.
“Marquise Kent would like to call it quits in the Merlot Cartel. My nephew said he’s ready to go legit. I live and die by the code of ethics, and rule number one was very clear. In by blood, out by blood. Today, we put his strength to the test. Today, we see if he’s really got that dawg in him. Twenty of my most loyal workers against my only living relative. May God have mercy on your soul, boy.”
Merlot stepped to the side as the men created a tight circle around me. He set a timer and let them loose. My heart lurched against my rib cage. My plan was to fight my way to a wall. I wanted to have my back against the wall to limit the amount of exposed weak points I gave them. I could kick and punch and hold my own until the timer went off as long as my body never hit the floor.
The circle slowly closed in on me. Men who I’d trained and hit licks with were ready to knock my head off my shoulders. The cartel was supposed to be a brotherhood, but these men were only loyal to the money.
Fists and feet flew from every direction. They’d underestimated me, though. I was a crazy ass nigga who loved the thrill of fighting. I held my own and got my back against the wall. It was over for these niggas. I was throwing sleepers in every direction. Men were dropping like flies. One of them caught me in my jaw, though. I spit blood in one of their faces and kicked another in the dick. Weren’t no rules to this fighting shit. Another one jabbed me in my eye, and it made me pause for a moment. With my vision no longer an asset, I closed my eyes and let my natural instincts keep me off the ground. Pure adrenaline fueled each jab of my fists and each kick of my legs and feet.
“Bitch ass nigga,” I growled as I caught one nigga by the neck and used him as a shield. I had him in a tight chokehold until he went unconscious. I could tell he wouldn’t see tomorrow, whoever he was.
The timer went off, but I continued to fight.
“Enough.” Merlot’s voice was even and held an authority that took decades to create.
Everyone stilled in their place. It was like we had done the mannequin challenge because of the way my fists froze mid swing. After a few moments of silence, I released my stance and staggered back to the wall. I used the concrete structure to keep me afloat. I rubbed my good eye and adjusted to the blurriness in the bad one as I took in the damage done. Of the twenty men who started the fight, only five were still standing.
“You survived. Congratulations. You are no longer a member of the Merlot Cartel.” Merlot extended his hand out to me.
I shook it. “Are we done for good? I got to cut communication with you?”
He shrugged. “Only time will tell. For now, it would be best to create some distance between us.”
“Fa sho. Take it easy, Unc.”
“Same to you.”
As I limped out of the room, I felt a sense of pride at what I’d done. Against all odds, I’d successfully left a cartel. Honey had to know I did this shit for us. Honey had to know I was all about her and nobody else.