Prologue
GENESIS “BLACK” ATKINS
Scanning everyone in attendance, I realized I was the only one with sense.
The plan these muthafuckas came up with wasn’t worth a fuck.
Robbing this particular nigga wasn’t as easy as these dumb muthafuckas were making it seem.
The way they wanted to move, every nigga in this room would be dead within twenty-four hours of the lick.
“Aye, who came up with this Swiss cheese ass plan?” I asked not giving a fuck about who I offended. Wasn’t nobody gon’ do shit.
“What? The fuck you say lil’ nigga?”
I looked over at the nigga who called himself Walt.
He spoke just as slow as he looked. My thing was, I didn’t stutter once and my voice was loud and fuckin’ clear, so I was confused on what the fuck he missed.
I didn’t give a fuck how many years ahead of me you were, I wasn’t scared of you or the next nigga. We could go there at any given moment.
“Muthafucka, you heard me. This must be yo’ shit with yo’ sensitive ass.
Yo’ dumbass ain’t thought shit out, huh?
All you focused on is getting you. Yo’ flawed ass plan leaves me and my crew open like a hoe legs out there.
I don’t know how you move, but I ain’t jeopardizing nobody in mine.
Regular shipment at eleven but coming at ten.
That’s cool, but you want us there at 10:30 leaving us approximately fifteen to get in and out.
You said Striker gets there before eleven. We need a window!” I shouted.
It seemed like I was the only one who noticed the holes.
We could get the shipment, that wasn’t the problem.
Working under pressure wasn’t the problem either.
Niggas like Royce fuckin’ Atkins didn’t leave room for others to make mistakes.
I watched him too long to know better. Walt’s plan left us crunching time with the lick being in less than eight hours.
We were dead men walking if we pulled this shit off.
“Chill, Black. We can handle it,” Tevin aka TJ spoke up.
He was down for any and everything. Just gullible for the money not thinking ‘bout how to get it ‘cause he knew that was all me. Hell, all of them waited for me to mastermind the game before playing.
“That ain’t the fuck ass point. The point is we ain’t doing time for his whack ass or catching a grave before it’s time. Stop being a money thirsty bitch and let me work. Walt, how big is the shipment, and where’s it coming from?”
“Who the fuck you think yo’ young ass talking to, lil’ nigga?” Walt was seconds away from me hopping on his ass. Everybody knew it which was why Hulk stepped in.
“Man, hell nah. We ain’t come here for all that.
Black, it’s a job. Accept the shit and let us work.
We need the fuckin’ bread. All we need is ten minutes no matter the size and you know it.
Stop giving this nigga a hard time. We good, Unc.
We’ll be there on time,” Hulk reasoned. He draped his arm over my shoulder and drug me away.
I shrugged him off and lit my blunt. Him and his fuck ass uncle could go to hell. All I was trying to do was keep us out of jail and alive. The bread didn’t matter to me simply because I knew where to get more. My hacking skills was top fuckin’ tier.
“Get the fuck out my face, Hulk. You and yo’ bitch ass uncle can suck my dick. It’s a setup and you know it. I don’t even know why you agreed to this shit.” I was over the bullshit.
“Unc said all we got to do is drive the truck from the Springs back to the city and drop it off at said address. We doing this for forty grand, that’s ten apiece. That shit might not matter to you, but it does to us. Not all of us got a backup plan like you.”
No one outside of Hulk knew my real name.
To everybody else, I was Black and nothing more.
Although I carried the Atkins name, I didn’t have the status, but you couldn’t tell that nigga otherwise.
He assumed I’d be just fine if I ever left.
That wasn’t the case in the slightest. Niggas wouldn’t be gambling their freedom if I did.
“What’s the backup plan, Hulk? Tell me what the fuck I got in the clutch that I don’t need to make no bread, too,” I said sliding my hands in my pocket.
I was already irritated as fuck and his smartass comments had me ready to hit him in his shit. Truth be told, I was seconds away from doing it which was why I was trying to have some self-control. After all, he was my patna.
“Muthafucka, you know what it is. All it takes is for you to walk in that hoe and tell them yo’ fuckin’ name and money gon’ fall like rain in that bitch,” he claimed.
I heard jealousy all through his tone. Trust wasn’t something I had for a fuck ass soul, but I gave these niggas an inch of it simply because we grew up together. I knew better than to count on anybody but myself. I was the furthest thing from slow.
“Tuh. Get yo’ pressed ass out my face like the fuck I said. The plan shitty and I ain’t putting my hands on it. Y’all want in, do it yourselves and that’s final.”
“Damn. You really turning yo’ back on us for them? We the ones that’s been here bruh,” Hulk argued.
I scrunched my face up in confusion. Out of everything I did for the crew he was coming at me like I was the flawed one. If anything, the way he was acting was making me look at him differently. I mean my nigga was in his feelings today.
“Bitch, I don’t give a fuck what they are to me. I said the plan was holier than bagels and bitch that’s what the fuck I mean. If y’all down for that shit, then be my fuckin’ guest. I ain’t touching it,” I reiterated and walked the fuck out the spot.
They were moved by money, which was cool.
By all means, get yo’ fuckin’ bread. However, easy money ain’t always easy to get.
They were gon’ need more than an inside man to get that shit done and Walt was an unloyal ass nigga.
I didn’t know who was pulling his strings but it damn sure wasn’t Royce anymore.
Hulk said Walt had somebody ready to dethrone Royce, but none of us knew who the fuck that was outside of him and Walt.
Even after asking him several times for a name, he wasn’t trying to give it up.
Hold yo’ people down by any means but damn, let a nigga know who we working for.
If you ain’t tell nobody else his name, the least you could do was give it to me. I started this jack boy shit.
Ace ran behind me like I knew he would. I was the oldest nigga here and had these dumbass niggas following behind me like I was a final boss or something. They couldn’t function without me for real, but they were ‘bout to learn today. I wasn’t touching that bullshit Walt brought to the table.
“Ain’t no way you let Hulk get you out yo’ body like that,” he said catching up to me.
Ace, he was my right hand and knew how far to take shit. Hulk and TJ always tried me until I was ready to put hands on them, Ace played it safe at all times. Once I crossed that line, he knew it wasn’t no coming back.
“Fuck him and his punk ass uncle. What the fuck you follow me for, Ace?”
“You really ain’t fuckin’ with us on this?” he questioned.
“Nigga you heard me when I said it. I’ll get my own funds tonight. Y’all have fun and take my share. I really don’t give a fuck.” I was standing on that. I wasn’t pressed the way they were. I had like twelve grand saved up, so this lick didn’t make or break me.
“We don’t roll like that, Black. It’s either all or none,” he pleaded.
“Make it none then nigga. I don’t give a fuck.”
“Get the fuck off yo’ high horse nigga. We need you,” he voiced.
“Nah, you don’t. Walt got it planned out so handle that. Tell Hulk and TJ to have yo’ back. Don’t go in with no other mindset but getting the fuck in and getting the fuck out. I’m gone.”
I made it to my whip and climbed in. I hit the button on the dash, cranking my shit up, and pulled off.
My name matched my car making me the only one in the crew to drive in luxury.
It was a twenty-first birthday gift that appeared out of thin air.
I never questioned it ‘cause a nigga was beating his feet.
I took it as my mama making shit shake. Hell, she did it for everything else, so this fell with that.
Pulling off, I headed in the direction of the crib. Living in Frost Peak was like living in a small country town. We were approximately two hours from Sage Springs but visited the city anytime we wanted to do more than chill with yo’ cousin. The city was small, so everybody was damn near related.
The fact them niggas was gon’ take the gig anyway was blowing me. I wasn’t gon’ stop they bag though. Do you, just don’t blame shit on me if shit went south. We didn’t move like that, and they knew it.
“Dumbass niggas,” I said aloud.
As I came to the first red light, my cell rang. Looking at the dash, I saw it was Ma Dukes. I answered even though I wasn’t in the mood to talk. “Yeah.”
“What’s the word?”
Adele was my muthafuckin’ rock. Since I was a jit, she kept it real with me ‘bout who I was and where I came from. I looked at her like a best friend more than anything. I knew she was the only muthafucka I could count on every single time.
“I ain’t going. That plan so damn flawed, Ma, it ain’t even funny.”
“I knew you would punk out. You scared of them or something?” She was the Atkins biggest opp if you asked me. She had beef with all of them, just not my donor.
“You know me better than that. The shit Walt brought to the table is for amateurs who don’t know no better. I been robbing niggas for eight years. I saw the holes from a mile away. Walt dumbass ain’t making this out alive, mark my words,” I said confidently.
“I think you scared. I told you who to go after a long time ago and now the opportunity here, you don’t want to take it. You didn’t come up with the jack so now you think it’s flawed. Just do the job, Genesis. We need the bread for the bills. I spent this month’s funds when I went on that trip.”
“I’ll get the money, Ma, and stop spending so recklessly. We ain’t got much to begin with.”
I didn’t hide a bitch ass thing from Adele. Whatever lick I did, she knew ahead of time. She was the only person in my corner for real and as long as she was up on game, I didn’t have to worry ‘bout shit. My mama was my silent partner on each jig.
“Tuh. You really ain’t doing it?” she asked.
“Hell nah. I’ll hit you back though. I’m ‘bout to make a move.” I hung up not caring to hear what else she had to say. She could go on a rant if you let her.
Getting as close to the hood as I could, I stopped at the corner store. I had a high metabolism, so I snacked the majority of my day. Call me Roman from Fast it brought a smile to my face.
“All I was saying was wait until I could ring it up before you just leave. I wasn’t trying—”
I cut her lil’ plea short with the quickness.
“I really don’t give a fuck now. You ain’t want to take my money so give it back and all the shit you got in the drawer.
Hell, while we at it, let’s empty wallets, too.
One by one put the bread on the counter.
If I got to search you, it’s gon’ end bad for y’all.
Trying to embarrass me and shit. Guess who getting the last fuckin’ laugh now. Let’s move!”
I was pleased by how well they listened.
When it got down to the old woman, I had a piece of heart.
She went to empty her purse, and I motioned for her not to.
She looked at me and mouthed, “Thank you.” Old folk wasn’t really scared of shit nowadays.
I guess with them living as long as they did, shit ain’t faze them.
“We don’t have much in the drawer for you to take,” the cashier added, throwing the few dollars on the counter.
“Bitch, I don’t give a fuck if all you made was twenty funky ass dollars. It’s compensation for bad customer service.” I grabbed the bills off the counter and headed out the door.
Them seeing my face didn’t bother me. I was ‘bout to wipe them cameras clean as soon as I was back in my shit. I hit the key fob, unlocking my doors and climbed inside. I hit the button to hide my license plate then pulled out the laptop I kept in the backseat. I was one of the fastest hackers on the east coast so it literally ain’t take me nothing but a minute to get into their security systems. Anything that happened within the last twenty-four was gone from their files and the cameras were off until she noticed.
I was pulling out into traffic moments later really not giving a fuck. It was what it was. Muthafuckas needed to stop playing with me. The Gemini in me wouldn’t let me play shit cool… ever. I was gon’ always be that impulsive ass young nigga.