Word got to Rodney that Moon was looking for him. Moon left a number where he could be reached at any time. Rodney just got finished breaking down 10 kilos into smaller quantities of weight and cooking up two for his men. He was busy and couldn’t figure out why Moon wanted him. He thought that maybe Moon changed his mind on being his shooter. But even if he did, after the way he spoke to Rod, the offer was off the table. The only thing they had in common was that he was Nasty’s man, and he was in a relationship with Nasty’s little sister.
The story on the streets was that Nasty and Soulja had put in some work in Brazil to avenge Nasty’s parents’ death. And once they got there, the girl that set up the trip had set them up. Some Brazilian gangbangers held court with fully automatic weapons, but Soulja and Nasty were not easy targets. Not only did they escape, but they made off with some fresh Brazilian cocaine. But somebody set them up. Turns out, it was Soulja’s girl. That’s what the streets say. And when they got back, they both were arrested.
Rod took a break and went into a back room and dialed Moon. He answered on the forth ring. “Moon, whattup? This Rod.”
“I was expecting your call. Nasty asked me to get in touch with you. He said you need to come and see him on Saturday, by yourself.”
“Something up?” Rod asked curiously.
“I don’t know the details. I’m just passing a message.”
“A’ight, cool. Tell him I’ll be there bright and early.”
“Make sure it’s after eleven after he make his rounds.”
“So I’m on Nasty’s time now, huh? ‘Cause, really, I—”
Moon cut him off. “I’m in the middle of something!” Moon hung up without warning. He wasn’t about to get into a tongue struggle with Rod, and he hung up before Rod said something that warranted a hit. Moon knew that Rod must have already crossed some type of line if Nasty was requesting to see him. It was most likely about Von. And everybody knew that Nasty didn’t play when it came to his sister. Whatever it was Rod had done couldn’t have been that bad because Nasty had ordered a meeting rather than a hit.
He went back to cleaning and oiling his arsenal and waited for a call from Nasty in case anything went wrong, even though the odds of that were slim because everybody acted like Nasty and Soulja were ghosts. And they still feared the ghosts years later as though they never left.
Rodney went to the crib. The house looked the same, except he didn’t smell Von’s perfume. Her clothes were not in the closet. The bed was not made. He had hoped that she would have come home, even just to talk, but she didn’t. She was not answering her phone. She was not calling him back. Nothing. And he could not find her. He picked up the phone and dialed the young girl he caught walking home the other day. He invited her over. Excited, the young girl walked over to the place that Rod and Von had once called home. When the girl rang the bell, Rod sniffed a few lines, and then ran to open the door.
The girl walked in. She couldn’t have been older than 14. Rod pulled her close to him.
“How did you get so beautiful?”
She giggled. “You got a nice house.”
“I’m glad you like it. I got you something.”
“Me?”
“Yeah, I just wanna make sure I got the right size. Let me guess, you wear a seven shoe.”
“Seven and a half,” she said. “But I can fit a seven, depending on what it is.” Rod opened the closet behind him and took out a brand-new pair of Jordans. They were Von’s, but she’d never worn them. They were brand new. He passed them to the young girl.
“Here,” he said.
“Oh my God. These are the vintage ones. I love these. Thank you.” He snatched them back. She frowned. “I can’t have them?” she asked, disappointed.
“Of course, you can. But when you got a grown-ass man like me ready to take care of you, you gotta be a grown-ass woman.”
“I can be a grown-ass woman. Everybody says I don’t look my age anyway,” she said.
“You got hair on that pussy?” he asked.
“Yeah, a little bit.”
“Let me see it.”
“Umm . . .” the girl said hesitating.
“See what I’m saying? You’re not read to be a grown woman yet. You’re playing games.”
“No, I am ready.” She unbuttoned her pants and dropped them to the floor. She stood there in her panties.
“Take those off too,” Rod said. She did as she was told. Her young body did something to Rod. His dick immediately got hard. “Come here,” he said to her. She walked over to him covering herself. Rod moved her hands and began playing with her clit. The young girl felt things she’d never felt before. But Rod noticed she was extra timid, and he didn’t have time for this shit.
“Can I go now?” she asked.
“Why you acting so shy?”
“I’m a virgin.” Rod’s eyes grew so large they almost popped out of his head. The thought of young tightness aroused him greatly.
“Lie down,” he said.
“But I don’t want to!”
Rod was tired of playing with her. He forced her on the bed, and out of fear, she opened her legs to him. He didn’t take his time or try to be gentle with the young girl; instead, he entered her as though the girl had been with him many times before. She bled as he pushed his way inside. And he began thrusting and pumping. The disease leaked from him into the innocent. When he was done with her, he kissed her. She left his house with a brand-new pair of Jordans . . . and a brand-new illness.
---------
Saturday at noon, Nasty was called to the visiting room. Moon had informed him a couple of days earlier that Rod would be coming to visit.
Rod walked into the prison, but he got a surprise. Marla. Marla happened to show up by sheer coincidence, and she refused to leave. So the two of them signed in at the same time to see Nasty. When Nasty walked out, he was thrown off by seeing Marla.
“What are you doing here, Marla? You know I don’t play that coming to see me without telling me first.”
“Nicca, you better kiss me right now!” she said. She gave him a look, and he knew she was holding something. He wasn’t expecting this, and the guard on duty was not someone on his payroll. So when she passed Nasty the package, he swallowed it. He’d throw it up later.
“You need to leave, Marla,” Nasty said.
“I came up here to handle business for you, and you’re dismissing me?” she said with an attitude.
“I need to talk to this man in private.” Nasty saw how disappointed Marla looked so he softened up a li’l bit. “Okay, look, go in the kids’ room over there and watch Sesame Street or some shit for a half hour. I need to talk to this man.”
Marla did as Nasty said.
“You look good, Nasty. How you holding up?” Rod asked. He peeped how Nasty was looking. He was in the best shape of his life.
“How are you and your men doing?” Nasty asked Rod, ignoring his compliment. It was his turn to play the last Don, and Rod peeped it.
“We’re doing better than most. I can’t complain,” Rod said.
“That’s good.”
“So what is this urgent request all about? Moon made it sound like there was an issue or something. You need me to handle something for you?”
“There is one thing that will make me turn my city red, and that’s my sister. I know money make a man forget what’s important to him or what should be important to him. Von came to see me not too long ago, and she spoke very negatively about you. I could see the hurt in her face, and I need to know why Von’s heart is so broken.”
“Yo, Nasty, real talk, I haven’t seen Von in over a month. She’s been ducking me, and it’s driving me crazy. She moved out in the middle of the night or some shit. And I haven’t seen her at all.”
“Don’t play dumb, my nigga. She’s been ducking you for a reason. She’s tired of going through it with you, so she’s done with you. So let me be clear. I’m through with you for her. My sister ain’t nobody’s dog. I respected you for picking up my weight after I fell and making sure Von was good. For that alone, I come to you in peace,” Nasty said.
“I love Von. You know I do. I can make it up to her. Every man makes mistakes. She probably found out I was messing around a little bit. But I was just having a little bit of fun. I’m not trying to ruin what I have with Von. I bought her a ring not too long ago.”
“Well, you fucked up, and she’s done.”
“Listen, I can make it up to her. ‘Cause let me honest. I will kill before I see her with someone else,” Rod admitted.
“I’m being kind. But you will do as I say, yo. It’s a wrap for you and my sister. It’s over. She’s done, and so am I. When you see Von, you speak and keep it moving. People call me and Von twins because we share the same soul. That’s my baby girl. And she hurt—so I’m hurt. You might kill for her, but I will wage a war in her honor. I’ll take out mothers, grandmothers, sisters, nephews, and whoever else need to go to right the wrongs done to her. That’s a great price to pay for love when you can find it somewhere else. Like I said, my respect remains intact. Let’s keep it that way, soldier.”
Rodney was steaming on the inside. Who the fuck did Nasty think he was? “Listen—” Rodney said.
“Listen nothing.”
“A’ight. I guess that’s law, then,” Rod said. Most OG meetings like this were called to keep peace in the streets. Rod wanted to tell Nasty go fuck himself, but he knew that Nasty had too much respect in the streets still, and all he had to do was make a phone call and a war would be started with Rod and his crew. He wasn’t trying to go there, at least not yet.
“You be safe out there, Rod. And here is some advice . . . You made a name for yourself, and that’s not good,” Nasty said before standing up. “You need to bring it down a few notches.”
“I hear you, Nasty. I’ll do that.” Rod extended his hand to dap with Nasty, but instead of extending his hand back, Nasty pat him on the shoulder and sent him off. Rod’s mouth twisted in a knot. He felt as though Nasty insulted him.
As Rodney left the prison, wild thoughts ran through his head. Who the hell was Nasty to tell him who he could be with? Von was grown, and so was he. He could make his own decisions. And why the fuck was Von coming up to the prison and telling Nasty their business in the first place? There had been several occasions that he wanted to slap the hell out of Von, but he didn’t because he knew she might tell her brother. But at this point, it didn’t even matter. If he heard even the slightest word that Von was fucking with somebody else, he would put all his worries about war to the side and let bullets fly where they may. When it came to what was his, he had no limits. If it came down to it, he’d fight for what he felt belonged to him.
Rodney drove out of the prison parking lot vexed. He called his man Black and told him to send a message to Shorty 55. Shorty 55 had been locked up for 20 damn years, at this very same prison. He used to get his work from Rod, but he slowed up. Rod told his man Black to let Shorty 55 know that it was time he stepped his game up in the prison. Rod wanted to let Nasty know that he didn’t run everything. He had power too.