Chapter 4 Jakari
“Man, sit yo’ stupid ass down and shut up! The only reason you in my car is ’cause my son needed medication. I don’t care about you, hoe!” I said through clenched teeth in a stern tone.
This girl really didn’t know her place, and I was beyond tired of her and her raggedy ass mouth.
Diamond was a mistake that I had to face every day, and I was mad at my damn self about it.
“Nigga, wasn’t you just crying ’cause another man sent her flowers? Yeah, I heard yo’ sucka ass. She don’t want you, baby daddy! Wake up and be happy with the family God gave you,” Diamond said with a smirk.
“Bitch, you got a broken nose and a permanent black eye. Shut yo’ weak ass up before I take you to her job, push you out of my car, and drive off! I’m sure she’ll beat yo stupid ass again.”
Diamond looked embarrassed, but she immediately shut the fuck up.
I really was a sucka ass nigga, though. I fumbled the bag when it came to Moni, and now I had this dusty feet bitch beside me riding shotgun.
I could have whooped my own ass for the shit I had gotten myself into.
I dropped Diamond off at her mom’s house, where our son was, and told her I would FaceTime her to check on him later.
I went and supplied my people at two of my trap spots, then I went home to get my mind right.
I couldn’t believe some nigga was sending my girl flowers, but I was even madder about Diamond speaking out of turn while I was on the phone with Moni.
She had to have thought I was fucking off, but that was nowhere near true.
I had been sick as a dog without her. I wouldn’t expect Moni to understand how much I loved my son, especially since she had no clue he existed until recently.
I knew this shit had to hurt her, cause it was damn sure hurting me.
I wanted my woman back, but I knew she would never accept the fact that I had an outside son, and I also had obligation to his mother too.
No matter what terms we were on or how much I hated Diamond, I would always be there for her.
In order for my son to be straight, his mother had to be straight first, and that’s how it would always have to be.
No matter how I felt about Diamond, I would always be there for something serious when she needed me.
If I could have shit my way, we would take Diamond out of the picture.
I would get custody of JJ and raise him with Moni, but I already knew that was some wishful thinking, fairytale ass shit.
Moni wasn’t going for that. Five years, and I lost everything over nothing.
I always regretted not buying a Plan B when I saw the rubber had broken, but if I had done that, my son wouldn’t be here.
It was really no winning in that situation, but I was a firm believer in everything happening for a reason.
I still wasn’t ready to accept that I had lost my woman just yet.
If I had to make a fool of myself to prove my love, I would do that.
It wasn’t like I couldn’t have any woman I wanted; I just didn’t want another woman.
I wanted the woman that I had invested everything into.
I called the shop phone and was immediately sent to voicemail, so I called right back again.
Now I felt like Harmony had blocked me on her work phone too.
I paced my living room floor, trying to think of my next move, but I was stuck.
Some nigga was already sending her flowers and shit, so I knew I needed to come harder.
Before I could come up with a plan, my right hand man, Keith, called.
“Wassup, Keith?”
“Did you know somebody else been feeding our people? Shit been dry this week, and I found out why. Pull up on me, and let’s talk,” he said before ending the call.
As a street nigga, you had to make the phone calls short and sweet.
I knew what Keith was saying without him even saying it.
I was just confused as to who would be bold enough to play on my top like that.
The whole DFW knew I had shit on lock from the grove to Forest Lane and all the way down through Fort Worth.
I didn’t play when it came to my money and my people eating.
Trying to take food off my plate was like an invitation to war.
I was about to check on that. My plans for Moni had to be put on hold because she definitely wasn’t gonna want me back if I couldn’t provide for her.
I had to make sure my money was straight first.
I pulled up to my stash spot and parked behind Keith’s car.
When I made it inside, he was smoking a blunt and looking worried.
I knew what he would say before he said it, and that was the only explanation for the drought we had been going through.
I walked into the spot, placed my keys on the table, pulled out a chair, and took a seat.
“What’s good, bruh?” I asked Keith in a frustrated tone.
“Word on the street is there’s been some new product being pushed.
It’s more potent than ours, and the high lasts longer.
I’ve had my ear to the streets, trying to figure out where it was coming from, but everyone is acting like they don’t know shit.
The people don’t even want our shit no more, saying that it’s trash,” Keith stated.
“You and I both know it’s ways to get to the bottom of this shit. If you say that your ear has been to the streets, how long have you known about this exactly?” I asked with a raised brow.
“I’ve only known for a couple of days. I wanted to have all my facts before coming to you with anything that wasn’t solid. You know me, and you know I would have handled this on my own. I just can’t get enough info on these niggas. It’s like ghosts have taken over our streets.”
I listened to what Keith said, but I knew by tomorrow morning, I would have all the info I needed.
I had earned those streets with my sweat and blood.
In all the years I had been on this earth, a nigga ain’t ever been able to say he took shit from me, and that wouldn’t happen today either.
I told Keith to take a ride with me because this shit couldn’t wait another day.
I was gonna put in my own work because this was my living and how I fed my son.
When we made it to the lane, I noticed some unfamiliar faces on the corner.
I parked my car on the side of the street, then Keith and I hopped out.
We walked up to two niggas with hoodies on and their hands in their pockets.
Rolling up on niggas was dangerous, but I had to shut this shit down today.
“Wassup? Y’all boys lost, ain’t it?” I said as we approached the two.
“Nah, brother, I think you niggas lost. If you ain’t trying to cop no work, get the fuck outta here,” the tallest nigga said, causing them both to laugh.
I looked at Keith, and we both started laughing as well. Those niggas had no idea that we were the wrong niggas to play with.
“Okay, let’s try this a different way. Who are y’all slanging for? Who supplying y’all? This been my territory for the past few years, and I know you not working for me,” I said as I stood face to face with the nigga who called himself in charge.
“If you don’t want shit to get ugly, you need to get yo’ flunky and get the fuck on before y’all get y’all ass beat.
We got fiends to serve. This is our shit now, but I’ll tell my people you stopped by, talking out yo’ ass.
What did you say yo’ name was, so I can pass the message? ” the second nigga said.
I smiled because now I knew which one of those clowns thought they was the toughest.
Before the nigga finished getting the sarcasm out his mouth, I threw a mean ass left hook that instantly dazed him.
Keith knew what time it was and started beating his homeboy’s ass.
We stomped them niggas bloody. I watched as Keith pistol whipped the teeth out his opponent’s mouth, then I put my gun to the other nigga’s head, demanding the information that I requested.
When we left, we had a name and a location of the spot where they usually meet. That was all I needed. I let them niggas know that if they ever got caught on my shit again, they wouldn’t live to tell the story.
“Tell that nigga Black that Jakari is looking for him and that you never move on a territory without seeing who it belongs to and getting permission. Y’all niggas clean yourselves up and have a blessed night,” I said before Keith and I laughed our way back to my car.
On the ride back, we discussed finding a new plug because if it was some shit on the streets better than ours, there was no way we could compete.
We needed some shit that wasn’t stepped on and would put this nigga Black out of business.
I didn’t want shit to get deadly, and I hoped this nigga just simply didn’t know the rules around there.
We were told that he was some out of town nigga, so I hoped it was an honest mistake.
I hadn’t seen niggas serving on the corners in years, so I knew those country bastards didn’t know any better.
Keith and I set things up with a new connect in less than a week, and the quality was definitely hitting on what it was supposed to be.
We got our customers back, and the streets had been quiet, so I assumed the new nigga in town got the message.
I had the location and drop on them niggas, but I extended them grace to move on their own first. I chunked it up as them being from out of town and not knowing how shit worked in our area.
Everybody fucked up sometimes, but as long as they got the message and shut shit down, we wouldn’t have a problem.
It had been weeks since the run in with the corner boys, and I could officially say that we were out of that drought.
We were back feeding the hood, and money was flowing like never before.
At this rate, I could get Harmoni her dream truck without blinking.
As the thought crossed my mind, I made a mental note to do just that.
I had to get my woman back by any means necessary.
Over these past few weeks, the streets had me so consumed that I had stopped thinking of ways to fix shit with my girl.
When a nigga’s money was funny, he couldn’t focus on shit but getting his bag straight. I had been slackin’.
I stopped by my trap to drop Keith off some work because he was getting low on product.
I had picked up the bread from him earlier, but I didn’t know he was running low, so I had to double back.
When I made it back to the spot, both doors were wide open.
The door that led to the house and the door that had the window we served from.
I knew damn well Keith wasn’t rocking like that.
His ass knew better, and I was about to get on him about that shit.
I walked through the front door that was wide open, and I immediately pulled my gun out.
The place was ransacked, and the little product that was left had been taken.
I walked toward the back of the house and saw Keith lying by the table in the kitchen.
It looked like he was bleeding from his chest. Dropping my gun, I ran to where he lay.
I took my shirt off and put pressure on his wound with it.
I didn’t know how to check for a pulse or none of that shit, but what I did know was that Keith was either dead or unconscious.
Either way, I needed to get him to the hospital.
I got him to my car, laid him across my backseat, and turned my hazard lights on. I did a hundred all the way to the hospital. While on my way, I reached into my glove box and grabbed my burner phone, which was for emergencies only. I called the only person I could think of at a time like this.
“Top Tier Styles, Harmoni speaking,” Harmoni answered her work phone.
“Please meet me at the hospital. I need you, Moni!” I said in a panic.
“The hospital? What’s going on, Jakari?” she said in a nervous tone.
“Keith has been shot, and he may be dead, man. I don’t fuckin’ know what happened, but I can’t lose my potna. He’s bleeding out fast. I’m doing a hunnit to Medical City now.
“Calm down. I’m on my way. I’m leaving the shop now, so I’ll be there in less than ten minutes,” she said before ending the call. Hearing her say that she was on her way, that was giving me hope. She knew how much my boy meant to me, and she didn’t choose to kick me while I was down.
My hands were sweaty, and my heart was racing. I couldn’t think straight. Keith had been my boy since fifth grade, and I wasn’t ready to accept him leaving.