A Gangsta Twist Saga (32 page)

Keno, dressed in a pair of Ecko sweat pants and matching Ecko T-shirt, came into Taz's home and sat down in the den as he watched Taz pour himself a drink from his bar. Keno's long hair was braided in four French braids going toward the back of his head. Though he was the same height as Taz—five foot eleven, and just as muscular—he gave off an entirely different type of vibe. He was always vibrant and upbeat, where Taz was more quiet and low-key. They had been best friends for what seemed like forever. That's why Keno could tell that Taz had something heavy on his mind. “Damn, nigga! It's barely after twelve and you're drinkin'! What's with that?” he asked him.

“My daughter is layin' in the fuckin' hospital tryin' to heal up from being shot, and you ask me what's up with me havin' a drink? Kill that shit, nigga!” Taz said as he came from behind the bar.

“Come on, my nigga! This is Keno you're talkin' to! I know you better than you know yourself, fool. Now, what the fuck is really good?”

Taz smiled and said, “Fuck you! Nah, on the real, I'm worried about what Won is goin' to get at us about in a li'l bit. I want out, dog. The time is right for us to shake this shit and live the right way for once.”

“So, let the nigga know that we want out.”

Shaking his head no, Taz said, “It's not that simple, gee. We owe that nigga for everything he has done for us. I just can't see me shaking him, especially if he really needs me.”

“If that's the case, then why are you trippin'?”

“I told you, I want out.”

“But you just said—”

“I know what I just said, nigga! Damn! This shit is confusing enough, dog. I don't need you questioning me over and over.”

“Questioning you? Nigga, this shit ain't just about you and your loyalty to that nigga. We are a crew, and all decisions are made together. No one in this crew calls the shots, remember ?”

“Yeah, I know. How do you feel about this shit then?”

Keno smiled and said, “Nigga, I gots over two hundred million dollars in the bank. How the fuck do you think I feel? It's whatever with me, dog. We can quit and I'll be straight, or we can keep it rollin' too. I really don't give a fuck.”

“If you don't give a fuck, then why are you talkin' 'bout the crew and decision-making and shit?”

“'Cause that's how it has always been. The others might not feel the same way as I do. You're goin' to have to bring it to the table, and then we'll all decide together, like we have always done.”

“You're right, gee,” Taz said as he went to let the others inside of his home. When he opened the door, he smiled at Bo-Pete, Red and Wild Bill and said, “Right on time, my niggas ! We were just talkin' 'bout y'all.”

As they entered the house, Red said, “I hope y'all were talkin' some good shit, 'cause I ain't in the mood for no bullshit. Business has to be handled, dog. When are we goin' to get that coward-ass nigga, Cliff?”

Taz didn't answer Red's question until they were all inside of the den. “That nigga is a dead man walkin', gee. You already know that. But right now, we have to figure out how and what we're goin' to do with Won.”

“What you mean by that, dog? I thought it was already understood. He's outta there, right?” asked Bo-Pete.

“He should be here in a li'l bit. He wants to get at us and explain everything. I feel we should hear him out before we make any decisions. We owe him that much at least. Y'all know what he's done for us. I really don't want to just cross him out of the game like that,” Taz said seriously.

“I feel you, gee, but he can't expect us to stay in the game just because he wants us to. If we feel the need to get out, we have that right,” Wild Bill said.

“You're right, Bill. Is that how you feel, dog? Do you want out?”

“Dog, for real, it's whatever with me. I'm rollin' with y'all either way.”

Taz smiled and asked, “What about you, Red?”

“If y'all want to smash Won, then so be it. If y'all want to keep rollin' with him, then so be it. I'm riding with my niggas.”

Before Taz could ask Bo-Pete the same question, Bo-Pete said, “I feel exactly the same way, my nigga.”

“All right then, this is what I feel we should do. Let's hear him out. Then we'll make our decision. If y'all are feelin' what he's talkin' 'bout, give a nod after he's finished. If we all agree, then we'll roll with it.”

“And if we ain't feelin' what he's talkin' 'bout, then what?” asked Keno.

“He dies,” Taz said with deadly simplicity.

“Right here?” asked Wild Bill.

“Right fuckin' here!” Red said in a tone just as deadly as Taz's.

Twenty minutes after the crew had made their decision, Won and Tari came over to Taz's home. After they were situated inside of the den, Won said, “It's a pleasure to finally be able to meet each one of you in person. We've been dealing with each other for so long, I feel as if each one of you are members of my family.” Won stood close to six foot four inches, with a short salt-and-pepper hair cut. He looked dapper, dressed casually in a pair of black slacks with a black-and-gray sweater on. His warm brown eyes stared at each man in the room for a few seconds before he continued. “Y'all have made a tremendous amount of money over the past fifteen years. That was my plan from the beginning. You were all to become millionaires. That part of my plan has been accomplished. Now, we're at the last phase of all of this.”

“Which is?” Red asked with a little attitude in his voice.

Won smiled and said, “For me to get what I've been wanting for a very long time. But before I go into that, I need to explain a few things. I've been a part of what me and my associates call ‘The Network' for the past twenty-five years. The Network consists of ten council members. Each member of the council controls certain areas around the country. What I mean by ‘control' is all illegal activities, such as drugs, gambling, prostitution . . . everything. Over these last past fifteen years, I have used my inside connections to weaken seven members of the council. My purpose for doing this was to elevate my position. My goal is to become the top man of the council, and run as well as control the entire Network.”

“So that's what you was talkin' 'bout when you said you will soon have the position of power?” asked Taz.

Won smiled and said, “Exactly, Babyboy! Like I was saying, I have weakened several members of The Network's council without revealing my hand. Every time y'all complete a mission, I gain more and more strength. The reason why I gave y'all all of the money was to keep my promise in making y'all richer beyond your wildest dreams, but also to hurt the other council members' pockets. By hurting them financially, I used the drugs that I kept from every mission to help them maintain their status in the council. You see, I'm not trying to completely axe them out of the council. I just want to be confident that when the time comes for me to make my move, they will feel obligated to stand, by my side.”

“A slow power move, huh?” asked Bo-Pete.

“Exactly. There are two members of The Network that I have never been able to get a good line on as far as their business is concerned. Because of this, I had to make sure that I successfully weakened everyone around them. Thanks to y'all, I've done exactly that. Now, it's time for the final two missions to be completed. Pitt, a man out of Northern California is our first target. I will have the details for you within a week or so. All I can say right now is that he's not to be underestimated, 'cause he's no fool. As a matter a fact, I feel he has already figured out that I had something to do with the robberies that have taken place over the years.”

“Why is that?” asked Wild Bill.

“Shit went wrong when there weren't supposed to be any problems. I think Pitt made the call and tipped certain people off. Because of that, Bob was shot and shit went haywire, even though the mission was still completed. Anyway, I've finally gotten inside of Pitt's camp, and I'm confident that this mission will go smoothly. Know this, if I didn't think it could go down smoothly, I would never put any of you in harm's way. Like I said, I look at each of you as a member of my family.”

“All right, what about the last mission?” asked Keno.

“Cash Flo' is the other member of The Network that I haven't been able to get close to. I know for a fact that he's close to retiring and handing over his position and part of The Network over to Pitt. After we put a nice dent in Pitt's pocket, Cash Flo' is to be terminated.”

“So, you're askin' us to kill for you now?” asked Red.

Won shook his head from side to side and said, “No, I just want you to accompany the person who's going to take Cash Flo's life for me.”

“And who is that?” asked Taz.

Won held up his hands and said, “I'll get to that in a moment. I understand that things are hectic now, with 'Neema being shot and Bob out of commission, but we are going to have to be ready to move on Pitt as soon as I get the call. Like I said, it should be within a week or two, tops.”

“Dog, we're a six-deep crew. We ain't movin' without Bob,” Bo-Pete said seriously.

“Yeah, so it's a no-go if we ain't got our man with us,” added Wild Bill.

Won stared at Taz for a minute then said, “I understand. I pretty much figured as much. Magoo and Bob are on their way here as we speak. They should make it into the city some time tomorrow evening. But I know Bob won't be in any shape to handle up. So I've found a replacement for him.”

“A replacement? Fuck that shit! We don't need no new nigga in our mix! It's either Bob or nothin'!” Red stated angrily.

Taz held up his hand to calm Red down and said, “Hold up, gee. Let's hear him out. Who's this replacement, O.G.?

Won smiled and said, “The same person who's going to take out Cash Flo' for me.”

“And who the fuck is that?” asked Keno, agitated.

Before Won could say a word, Tari got to her feet and said, “Me!”

Clifford was so relieved that he felt as if he was going to pass out. He had just been informed by Detective Bean that he was not going to be brought up on charges for shooting Tazneema. No one was pressing charges, so he was going to be able to remain a free man. His heart hurt when he found out that he had lost his child, but at least Tazneema was alive and doing well.

He tried numerous times to speak with her, but Mama-Mama refused to let them talk to each other. Once when he called the hospital he actually heard Tazneema tell Mama-Mama that she wanted to speak with him, and that made him feel real good inside. He could hear the love in her voice, and he was now confident that she still wanted him. He was also confident that if they didn't press any charges against him, it was because Taz had other plans for him. He would have to deal with that whenever the time came. The most important thing to him at that moment was getting in contact with the woman he loved.

He walked into his office, and before he had a chance to sit behind his desk, his secretary buzzed in on the intercom and told him that Mr. Johnson and Mr. Whitney wanted to see him as soon as possible in Mr. Whitney's office. He set his briefcase down and quickly stepped out of his office. When he made it to Mr. Whitney's office, his secretary told him that he could go right in. He took a deep breath and opened the door to Mr. Whitney's office. Once he was inside the office, his heart felt as if it was about to burst, it was beating so hard. Clifford smiled nervously as he stared at Mr. Whitney and Mr. Johnson, the two head partners of the firm, and one of the newest partners, Ms. Sacha Carbajal.

“Have a seat, Clifford,” Mr. Whitney said in a tone that could mean only one thing to Clifford.

I'm outta here
, he thought as he did as he was instructed to.

“Clifford, we've received some very disturbing news about you,” Mr. Johnson said as he glared at him. “And we want you to know that though you are a very competent attorney, there is no room at this firm for a person who cannot control his emotions.”

“I understand, sirs, but if you would let me explain—”

With both of the partners of the firm shaking their heads no, Mr. Whitney continued. “I don't feel that there's an explanation good enough to make us believe that you are still worthy to work for us here at Whitney and Johnson, Clifford. So we have no other choice but to terminate you immediately.”

“Please don't make this any more difficult than it already is, Clifford,” added Mr. Johnson. “We expect you to have your office cleared out as soon as possible.”

“That's it? Just like that I'm out of here? I can't believe this! I don't know what you've been told, sirs, but there are certain factors to this situation that you two need to know about!” Clifford yelled as he glared at Sacha.

Sacha met his glare with one of her own as she said, “Both Mr. Johnson and Mr. Whitney have spoken with a Detective Bean of the Oklahoma City Police Department. They are well informed of your criminal behavior. We also have a copy of the statement you gave Detective Bean, so there isn't anything else to be said. You're very lucky that the Good family chose not to press any charges against you.”

“Come on! You know damn well why they didn't press any charges against me. For one, Tazneema would never press charges because she loves me! And, two, your damn thug-ass boyfriend is planning on taking my life! Did you tell the bosses that? You spiteful li'l bitch!”

“Clifford! That is enough! I will not tolerate that kind of language inside my office!” yelled Mr. Whitney. “Now, you are to get your things and be out of this office building immediately! If not, then we will have someone assist you! Am I understood, Mr. Nelson?”

“Man, fuck you and this firm!” Clifford screamed as he stormed out of Mr. Whitney's office. When he made it back to his office he called for his secretary to come in and told her, “Do me a favor, Kathy. Pack all of my stuff up for me and have it sent down to the front security desk. I'll come back and get it later on.”

“Wha—what happened, Mr. Nelson?” she asked.

Clifford smiled sadly and said, “Oh, nothing. I just got canned.”

 

 

Back inside of Mr. Whitney's office, Mr. Johnson was telling Sacha, “I hope that young lady will not be seeing Clifford any longer. He's obviously a dangerous individual.”

“Only time will tell, sir. But I do think Cliff was right. She's still in love with him, so you know how that goes,” Sacha said with a slight shrug of her slender shoulders.

“What about Taz? Do you think he was right when he said Taz was planning to hurt him?” asked Mr. Whitney.

“I can assure you, gentlemen, that Taz has no plans to do anything to Cliff. He's very angry at him, but he's no fool. If something was to happen to Cliff, Taz knows that he would be the prime suspect. I've spoken with him repeatedly, and he understands that it's best to try and put this unpleasant incident behind him and his family.”

“I hope you're right, Sacha,” Mr. Johnson said as he got out of his chair.

I do too
, Sacha thought to herself as she followed Mr. Johnson out of Mr. Whitney's office.

 

 

Taz was sitting next to Tazneema's bed, trying his best to figure out his daughter's way of thinking. “Can't you understand that that nigga is no fuckin' good, 'Neema?” he yelled.

“Why can't you understand that I love that man?” Tazneema yelled right back.

Before the yelling match could continue any further, Won said, “Look, baby boy. Maybe you should let this go for now. There's no need to further frustrate 'Neema while she's in here recovering.”

Tazneema smiled and said, “Thank you, Uncle Won, 'cause he's gettin' on my last nerves. My head hurts enough as it is.”

Taz stood and said, “Whatever! But I'm standin' on my word, 'Neema. Stay the fuck away from that clown!” he yelled as he left the hospital room.

When the door closed behind Taz, Won said, “Don't worry about him, 'Neema. It'll pass. Just give him some time.”

“I don't know, Uncle Won. You know how stubborn he is.”

“Yeah, I know, but I also know how stubborn you are too.”

She smiled and said, “You better believe it!”

Won bent over and gave her a kiss on both of her cheeks and said, “Get some rest. We'll come back and check on you later on, okay?”

“Okay. Bye, Uncle Won.”

“Bye, sweetie,” Won said, and turned and left the room. When he caught up with Taz at the elevator bank, he said, “You need to learn how to control your emotions, Babyboy. I thought I taught you better than that.”

“I know, O.G., but when it comes to my baby girl, I can't help it. She really wants to be with that nigga! After he fuckin' shot at me!
Me!
Her fuckin' Daddy!”

“Calm down. She's not going to be with that fool. You know I wouldn't let that happen.”

“What do you mean by that?”

As they stepped into the elevator, Won said, “I'll take care of that nigga when the time's right. Right now, if he came up missing, you'd be caught the fuck up. We can't afford that, so let's just chill and finish what we gots to finish.”

Taz shook his head and said, “Nah. After everything is everything, I'm goin' to be the one that takes out that clown-ass nigga, O.G. Me, not you.”

“All right, but only after we're done.”

“Whatever! Tell me something. How in the hell did you get Tari involved in all of this shit?”

Won smiled and said, “Tari has been on my team for a very long time. Believe it or not, you two share a similar story. She lost her parents when she was young, so she took to the streets to survive. The same person who introduced us, introduced me to her. I took her out West, cleaned her up and put her back into school. By the time she graduated high school, she told me she wanted to become a nurse, so I sent her to nursing school. From time to time she was called upon to handle certain things for me. And just like you, she's very thorough. Don't underestimate her, Babyboy. She's a stone-cold killer. I sent her back to the City and introduced you two because I knew you needed a woman to take your mind off of MiMi from time to time. I also knew that you would never fall in love with her, and I thought she would never fall in love with you, but there I was wrong. That girl would give her life for you if you asked her to.”

Taz smiled and said, “Yeah?”

“That's right.”

They stepped into the lobby of the hospital, and Taz said, “I have always loved Tee. I just never felt the kind of love like I have for Sacha.”

“She knows that, and she respects Sacha tremendously. All she cares about is your well-being. When I asked her, would she help me out for this mission, she said she would, on one condition.”

“What was that?”

Won smiled again and said, “As long as this be the last time that I ever asked you to do something dangerous for me again.”

“What?”

“You heard me. She's doing this so that I can let you live the rest of your life happily.”

“So, you're tellin' me that she's doin' this crazy shit for me?”

“You got it, Babyboy.”

“Damn!”

 

 

Clifford drove around for hours, thinking about what the fuck he was going to do with his life now. He knew for a fact that Mr. Whitney and Mr. Johnson were going to do their best to fuck him over, so getting employed by another firm in the city was definitely going to be out of the question. He couldn't believe that bitch Sacha went out of her way to make sure he lost his job.
That bitch is going to pay—her and her punk-ass nigga!
he thought as he continued to drive aimlessly around the city.

After a few hours of driving around, he found himself rolling through his old stomping grounds. He smiled as he saw some young Crips hanging on the corner of Twenty-third Street and Lottie Avenue. They started throwing up their Hoover Crip gang sign—thumb in between the index and middle finger of their left hand—as he rolled past them. He shocked himself as he instinctively returned the Hoover gang sign back to the youngsters hanging on the corner. Throwing up the Hoover sign made a lot of memories come storming back inside of his head. He remembered how he and Do-Low used to be some of the hardest Crips in Oklahoma City
. Do-Low . . . Damn! That punk-ass nigga Taz killed a lifelong friend!
he thought as he rolled through his old neighborhood. If he hadn't tried to have Do-Low kill Taz, his homeboy would still be alive. Even though Do-Low had been dying slowly of AIDS, he still didn't deserve to be shot dead in the parking lot of some damn club. The hatred Clifford had for Taz was steadily intensifying.

He smiled when he saw someone from his past. He quickly parked his Mercedes, jumped out of the car and said, “What's up, cuz? What's that 107 Hoover Crip like?”

A short, stocky brother dressed in a pair of blue Dickies with a matching blue Dickies shirt on said, “What the fuck! What's up, cuz? What the hell yo' rich ass doing in the 'hood?”

“Shit done got fucked up for me, cuz. You know how it goes. When everything else fails, a nigga still gots the set. What's up with you, H-Hop? How you been?”

“Ain't shit. The same old shit. You know how it is out here, trying to make some ends and shit. Damn, C-Baby! You got the tight Benz and shit. Can't too much be goin' wrong for yo' ass.”

“Yeah, my paper is straight for now, but I just got fired from my job.”

“I thought you was a big-time lawyer and shit,”

Clifford started laughing and said, “Yeah, kinda. But that's old news. I'm not anymore.”

“So, what you gon' do now? I know you ain't tryin' to come back to the block.”

“Why not? What, an O.G. ain't welcome back in his 'hood, nigga?”

“Cuz, it's a new day out here. I honestly don't think you'd be able to keep up with these young niggas. Shit, I barely can, and you know I'm still 107's top killa.”

Clifford laughed and said, “Is that right? You mean to tell me that these youngstas are out here wildin' like that?”

“You fuckin' right! They tryin' to smoke somebody every fuckin' day! Cuz, I'm out here tryin' my best to stay down for the set, but I got kids to feed so they are my first priority, ya feel me?”

“Yeah, I feel you. Where are you on your way to now?”

“I was about to go holla at the li'l homey to see if cuz has my ends yet. What, you tryin' to meet some of these new niggas from the Groove?”

With a shrug of his shoulders, Clifford replied, “Why not? I don't have shit else to do.”

“All right then, come on. Them niggas is gon' trip the fuck out when they see us pull up in that tight-ass Benz,” H-Hop said as he started walking toward Clifford's car.

Clifford made the short drive deeper into 107 Hoover Crip's turf, and parked his Mercedes in front of a small group of teenagers dressed in a mixture of orange and blue. As they climbed out of the Benz, H-Hop smiled and said, “What's up, cuz?”

Several of the teenagers responded by yelling out, “Hoover Crip!” or “Ain't nothin' smoother than Hoover over here, cuz!”

H-Hop and Clifford smiled at each other as they walked toward the backyard of the vacant home that they had parked in front of. A few of the teenagers standing out front followed them.

Once they made it to the back, Clifford saw another familiar face. He smiled and said, “Damn, cuz! You still around this bitch?”

A tall, skinny brother with a light-skinned complexion smiled and said, “Look at this shit! It's a fuckin' Hoover legend and shit! What up, C-Baby? What it do, cuz?”

Clifford smiled and said, “My nigga, Astro! You ain't changed at all I see, cuz.”