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The light winds caused snowflakes to dance through the air before landing. Mack drove around the city in his Jeep, enjoying the warmth his vehicle provided, despite the blustering temperature outside.
Turning down Sigel Street, he saw a kid bundled up in a black Northface coat, skully and Nike ACG boots. Even the frigid weather couldn’t deter him from manning the block and chasing his dream of reaching financial freedom by selling drugs.
The sight of him caused Mack to reflect back to his teenage years. He was the first person on the block hustling, and the last one to leave. While everyone was out partying and chasing women, he was on the block chasing money. That ambition played a pivotal role in him rising above the ranks.
As he drove nearer, the kid began to wave his hands in an attempt to get Mack’s attention. He recognized who the kid was and pulled over. The kid eagerly ran over to the driver’s side, and Mack lowered his window.
“Wassup, ole head?” the kid asked through nearly numb lips.
“Wassup, Keith? What you doin’ out here?”
“Shit, I gotta get this money. My stomach ain’t gon’ feed itself.”
“I can dig that.”
“You heard anything about the bawh, Reek?” Keith asked.
“It ain’t lookin’ too good right now. He’s still in the hospital, and in custody,” Mack informed him.
“Keepin’ it real, it ain’t been the same for me since he been gone. That nigga kept me with that work, and he was really gon’ bless me...then, that shit happened. It’s like my luck will never change for the better.”
“Stop believing in luck. Believe in taking advantage of opportunity once it presents itself. You wanna go for a ride?”
Keith’s eyes widened. “No question!” He didn’t hesitate at the chance to cruise the city with a hood star. He darted around the Jeep, jumped inside, and adjusted the seat.
“Roll something up for us.” Mack handed him a bag of high grade weed and a vanilla Blunt Wrap, before pulling off.
Mack drove around the city giving Keith much needed advice, which had become a rarity. Either the elders were reluctant to offer counsel, or the younger generation was unwilling to accept it. However, Keith appeared to absorb his words like a sponge.
During their conversation Mack was able to get a greater insight into Keith’s mindset. He respected the young man’s intellect and lack of naivety. He understood his hunger and eagerness to gain a greater position in the drug game.
Mack watched Keith grow up and he knew that Reek had him under his employ. He vaguely recalled a conversation when Reek told him he considered giving Keith an elevated position, but he wanted to be certain that Keith’s loyalty was absolute first. Mack’s phone rang, interrupting their discussion.
“Hello?”
“Wassup, Mack? I need to holla at you,” Shawn said.
“Is everything taken care of?” Mack asked.
“Nah. I only talked to one of them.”
“What the fuck you mean you only talked to one of them?” Mack’s voice had risen. “Do you understand how important this is to me?”
“Come on, man. You know...”
“Come on, my ass. Don’t fuckin’ call me again until you talked to the other one!” Mack ended the call and banged his hand against the steering wheel in frustration. “Bitch ass twins,” he mumbled to himself.
“Mack, I ain’t tryin’ to get in your business, but are you trying to get in touch with the twins from North Philly?” Keith asked.
He looked over at Keith, unsure of whether or not he should answer. “Why?”
“It ain’t nothin’ for me to get in touch with them niggas. I’m fuckin’ their little sister. And he used to front...” Keith paused, looking over at Mack, unsure if he should continue.
“Go ahead and finish what you were saying,” Mack demanded.
“He used to front me whatever I bought. But I only used to fuck with him when I couldn’t catch Reek. I wasn’t playin’ both sides of the fence.” Keith made sure to throw that last part in.
Maybe he was, or maybe he wasn’t dealing with Reek and the twins at the same time. At the moment, that wasn’t important. He had to make a decision as to if he should involve Keith in this situation. The bottom line was the button had been pushed. One of the twins had already been kidnapped and the clock was ticking. The other twin had to be captured within twenty-four hours or everything could go awry.
“How do you feel about the twins?” Mack asked.
“I don’t give a fuck about them niggas. They know I’m out here struggling, and they never offered to put me on. Ever since they got on some Take Over the City shit, they stopped frontin’ me work. And they want straight money. They don’t give a damn about how much paper I bring them. On some real shit, I’ve been plottin’ on getting them niggas.”
After a moment of driving in silence, Mack looked over at Keith and asked, “You ready to get this money with SP?”
“I’ve been ready. All you gotta do is give me the ball and watch what I do with it.”
“Aaight, here’s what I want you to do...”
––––––––
Keith called the twin’s sister, Quianna, and convinced her that he wanted to spend the day with her. She gave him a little attitude because she hadn’t heard from him in nearly a week, but after a few choice words, she gave in.
He was given eight thousand dollars, then dropped off at Quianna’s place on Indiana Avenue. Keith approached her apartment and rang the doorbell. She opened the door dressed in a pair of gray, cotton, stretch shorts and a white T-shirt. Quianna was one size beyond thick, but her curvy figure remained intact. Keith couldn’t help but notice her semi-hard nipples pushing against her tight fitting T-shirt, as a smile appeared on her face.
“Watchu want?” she asked with a false attitude, standing at the door with her hands on her hips.
“I want you.” Keith answered.
She stepped to the side and he walked in. After removing his coat and getting comfortable, he rolled up a blunt and they smoked. It didn’t take long before they were high and horny. After a few minutes of foreplay and teasing each other, Quianna grabbed Keith by his hand and led him to her bedroom. They pleasured each other until they were both sexed out.
“Boo, I’m going to take a shower. You comin’?” Quianna asked.
“Shit, I can’t even move because of you. I’ll take one later.” He reached for his pants and removed a pack of Newports.
“Don’t smoke that in here. You know I hate the smell of cigarettes.”
“Aaight. I’m going in the living room.”
She left to wash up. Keith popped a cigarette into his mouth, slid on his boxers, grabbed a lighter, and then went into the living room. He removed a burn out cell phone from his coat, lit his cigarette, and then called Kahdeem.
“Hello?” Kahdeem answered.
“Wassup, bruh? This is Keith.”
“What’s going on?”
“I need to see you.”
“Aaight, give me a number.”
“Eight.”
“Eight what?” he asked skeptically.
“Eight stacks, my nigga.”
“Are you serious?”
“Yeah, I’m at Quianna’s crib. Come through.”
“I’ll be there in twenty minutes.” They hung up.
Keith then called Mack. “You got fifteen minutes. Make sure you’re ready.” He turned his phone off, removing the large stack of money from his inside coat pocket. Never before had he held eight thousand dollars in his hands.
Some saw money as the root to evil. Keith saw it as a solution to his problems. Only if all the money he held was actually his. The cash had been given to him as a backup plan. He sat on the couch and thought about the possible direction his life could turn toward.
Quianna walked into the living room wearing nothing but a powder-blue thick cotton robe and matching house slippers. “Keith, where did you get all that money from?”
He quickly snapped out of his thoughts. “This is why you haven’t heard from me in a few days,” he lied. Keith stuffed the money back into his coat pocket. He had to come up with a way to keep Quianna busy for at least the next half hour. “Boo, I’m starving.”
“Whatchu want to eat?”
“I want some fried chicken wings, macaroni and cheese...and some mashed potatoes and gravy.”
“So, you just plan on fucking, eating and leaving?” Quianna crossed her arms across her full breasts.
Keith stood and walked up to her. His nose took in the sweet smell of green apple body wash that lingered on her skin after the shower. “Actually, I was thinking of making love to you throughout the night, and waking up in the morning with you in my arms.” His words instantly softened her.
“That sounds nice.” She blushed, revealing pretty, white teeth as she smiled, and then leaned in for a kiss that Keith was happy to give her. “Let me start preparing the food.” She reluctantly stepped back.
“Hurry up before I change my mind and eat you.” He smacked her on the butt. She giggled and turned to leave.
Keith rolled another blunt of weed and stood by the living room’s window, peeking out into the streets while smoking. Within ten minutes a white Audi Q7 parked against the curb in front of Quianna’s place. Keith’s heart began to race. Kahdeem was early. It was too soon for Jihad and Shawn to be in position.
If Kahdeem made it to his sister’s house, Keith would be forced to give him the money and the mission would have to be aborted. Kahdeem could not be kidnapped leaving his sister’s house after doing a deal with Keith. There was no question he’d be the main suspect.
Kahdeem got out of his Audi and Keith cursed to himself as fear of the plan unraveling set in. His eyes grew wide as he saw two men run up on Kahdeem with their guns drawn. One of the men took Kahdeem’s keys, the other pressed a gun to his chest, and forced him into the back seat of the Audi. The Audi pulled off with all three men inside.
Keith was spiked with adrenaline, watching the kidnapping take place. He scanned outside to see if there were any possible witnesses. The wintry streets were desolate. Confident that everything went smoothly, he walked into the kitchen and took a seat at the table.
“That chicken smells good, baby. How long before we eat?...”