Ashley's Story: THE LAST CHAPTER (6 page)

“So they targeted me because of some street beef? What kind
of shit are you in?” she asked with her face twisted up in a scowl?

“Come on, Ash. Why you asking me shit like this? You already
know what it is, ma.”

Tears slid down Ashley’s face. She was caught up in some
beef and it wasn’t even hers. She sat there a little longer waiting on him to
say more but he didn’t. The silence was becoming too much for her. Ashley
sighed deeply before opening the door.

Rio gently touched her arm. “Hold up, Ash. Don’t go.”

“Why? Is there more you want to say?”

Rio shook his head before letting her arm go. Ashley avoided
looking at him. She got out of the car and slammed his door. If anyone else
would’ve slammed his door, he would’ve knocked their ass out but Ashley was his
friend. Rio had a growing soft spot for her in his heart. He would do anything
for her and that included bodying a couple of niggas along the way. Whoever
tried to bring harm to her would be knocked down. “Fuck! He yelled before
punching his steering wheel in anger.

Rio was tired of playing games someone was going to be held
accountable for this shit. He had to remind his self when street beef was
involved you have to be patient and take your time. Rio shook his head while
clenching his teeth. He needed someone else there with him another nigga he
knew without a doubt would have his back. He picked up his phone and called his
goon from New York, Trust.

Trust answered his phone on the first ring.

“Yo, what’s good, my dude? How’s that Miami life?”

“Shit was cool until I got this pain in my neck. I can’t
seem to make the ache go away or locate the problem. I need you here as soon as
possible.”

“Enough said; I’ll be there soon,” Trust stated before
hanging up.

Rio looked over at Ashley’s mother’s house praying to get
one last glimpse of Ashley but she had closed the door.

“Ain’t that about a bitch? I can’t catch a break he spoke
out loud to himself before starting his car and pulling off.

Club Liv was breathtaking and dimly lit. A crowd of girls
screamed and hollered when a dude with dreads began throwing fistfuls of money
into the air.

“I see the thirst is extremely real up in this bitch,”
Ashley said with a disgusted look on her face.

She glanced over at the girls then back at the dude who was
throwing money like it grew on trees.

“Hoes see money and go crazy,” Royce giggled. She and Ashley
were posted up by the wall nodding their heads to the music.

“So girl, I just have to ask...what’s really up with you and
Rio?”

Ashley playfully rolled her eyes up into her head. She knew
Royce was going to ask sooner or later.

“I’m really feeling him,” Royce continued. “I met his ass
over in the Beans like two months ago and I’m falling for him hard.”

“Rio and I are friends. It’s nothing.”

Satisfied with Ashley’s reply, Royce began nodding her head
to the music.

‘What up, Royce?” the dread head dude asked.

“Hey Profit! What’s good, baby?”

Profit nodded his head in Ashley’s direction. “Who’s your
friend?”

“This is my home girl, Ashley. We did time together.”

Ashley immediately cringed at her introduction but she
couldn’t get mad because it was the truth.

“Damn, you’re too fine to have been up in somebody’s jail.”

“What the fuck did you do?” he asked.

“Long story,” Ashley replied.

“We could go over there and sit on the couch while you tell
me the whole story.”

“Cute.” Ashley smiled at him faintly. She didn’t like Profit
and wanted away from him.

He invaded her space. “So what’s up? You gon’ tell me the
story?” he was close to her face so she could hear him over the load music.

Ashley jerked her head back and looked at him with a
disgusted look on her face. “No; maybe some other time,” she lied.

Profit stuck his tongue out slowly and licked it at her.

“Never. Your tongue is too small,” Ashley sassed with a
smile. She winked at him before grabbing Royce’s hand and walking in the
direction of the bar.

“Fuck you, bitch! You’re not that fine.”

“Girl, what the fuck is wrong with your boy? Ashley asked
Royce when they were a good distance away from Profit.

“Profit is just very outspoken, especially when he can’t
have his way,” Royce admitted. “I know him from the hood. He’s really not that
bad especially when you get to know him. Just ignore his ass; he’s a loose
cannon.”

“Loose cannon, my ass. I don’t do disrespect. Shit, I can
call up a couple of niggas and have his ass beat the fuck up. His tongue is too
fly and that shit’s gonna get him into trouble. Have that nigga hanging from a
pole somewhere along with the rest of his family,” Ashley added while eyeing
Profit on the dance floor.

He had two bottles of Luc Belair Rose held high in each hand
shaking his dreads wildly to Fetty Wap’s
RGF Island
.

“I don’t associate with niggas like that. He’s untamed.”

Royce looked over at Ashley and shook her head. “Ash, don’t
let him fuck up our night.”

“I wasn’t having a good day. He just pissed me off even
more. You’re right though,” she agreed with a smile before downing the shot of
Hennessy. “Let's have some fun.

She and Royce danced through half the night. A couple of
dudes tried to holler at her but she turned them all down without even
thinking. . Ashley and Royce were finally thirsty and tired so they went to the
bar to get a drink.

“Girl, why the hell do you keep turning down these niggas?
You act like you’re in a relationship. Are you?”

Ashley shook her head no while downing down a bottle of
water.

“I’m not in a relationship anymore.” Ashley had stuck to the
rules she had made in jail so Royce didn’t know about Petey or her past and she
wanted to keep it that way.

Royce chuckled. “Damn girl your old boyfriend must’ve been a
boss.”

Ashley smiled then took her phone out to check the time.

“Royce, are you ready to go? My feet are killing me Ashley
stated while looking at the partygoers still having a ball as if the club just
opened.

Royce downed her pineapple Ciroc. “Yeah, I’m ready.”

“Okay. Let me go to the bathroom and then we can leave.”

***

At two o’clock in the morning, Rio was standing outside of Club
Liv with his crew.

“I’m sick of dude,” Rio muttered through gritted teeth.

His trap house on 57
^th
Street had been shot up a
couple of weeks ago and he was pissed. One of his little soldiers, Josh, found
out it was Profit. Rio was a hundred percent sure it was him.

“Shorty finding out that Profit and Finesse were going to be
here is a big ass help.” Mark nodded. A young chick Mark fucked with from the
Beans was friends with Profit and Finesse cousin. Mark used this knowledge to
his advantage. He fucked her real good, bought her a Michael Kors bag, and gave
her two hundred dollars. Like a hood rat, she took the bait. She found out
where the brothers would be then dropped all of the information on Mark.

Rio looked down at the yellow gold plated chronograph watch
on his wrist. He didn’t know what the outcome would be when he saw Profit and
Finesse. He was going off pure adrenaline. He did know there wouldn’t be any
shooting tonight. There were too many bystanders around.

Rio stroked his beard while eyeing a chick who was staring
at him. Her smile was inviting but he was not interested. Rio looked at her for
a couple of seconds longer then looked away. Any other time he would’ve stepped
to her to see what was up, but not today. He wasn’t there to mingle or pick up
chicks.

Profit and Finesse walked out of the club with a few other
niggas. Rio rubbed his hands together and stood up.

“Just the muthafuckas I’ve been waiting for," Rio said
as he and his crew walked up to the pair.

“Why the fuck you waiting on us? Finesse huffed angrily.

Dylan walked up to him and stood in his face before he had a
chance to reach Rio.

“I see you got your bodyguards,” Finesse sneered, only
inches away from Dylan’s face.

Finesse smiled when he saw that Dylan hadn’t flinched. Like
a man ready for war, Dylan’s eyes never wavered.

“So what’s up nigga? We got problems?” Profit asked. .

“You already know what it is,” Rio stated. “You know what
the fuck this about .You’ve been doing shit trying to get my attention and now
you got it.”

Profit nodded his head. “You’re right, youngin. I’ve been
doing little shit to fuck with y’all niggas. Take y’all asses back to New York.
This is our home. Y’all just visiting and the visit is just about up.”

“Hold up; did you just call me young?” Rio asked. He was
baffled. “Young? I’m a grown ass man and you know exactly the problems I’m
talking about. I heard you disrespecting females. You need to be careful who
you talk slick at the mouth to. You never know who they’re affiliated with.”

Profit had a look on his face as if he was trying to figure
out who he was talking about. He disrespected so many women on a daily basis
that he had no clue who Rio was referring to.

“In the mall a while back, you came slick out the mouth to
my family.”

“I smoke too much weed and I got too much going on to
remember some shit I said to a female in a mall,” Profit said.

Mark stepped beside Rio and pulled up his shirt to reveal
his Smith and Wesson.

“Nah, Mark. There are too many witnesses for that gunplay
right now. These niggas gon’ feel it soon though,” Rio said.

“Nigga making threats. Better be sure you can keep 'em,”
Finesse barked heatedly. .

Rio stared at Finesse. “I always keep my promises.”

Rio was heated and he was done talking. He wanted action and
since he couldn’t let his gun talk, he was going to have to find another way to
release his tension. He stepped back and pulled his shirt over his head. He was
ready to see what the little nigga’s hands were about.

“Rowdy niggas are usually the worse kind. Can’t do shit
without that heat."

Profits lip curled in anger. “You really trying to see what
this handwork ‘bout, boy?”

Without saying another word, he pulled his shirt off roughly
and handed it to Finesse before flicking his chin with his thumb.

Minutes ago, Profit was tipsy. Now it was as if he’d never
taken a drink at all. The only thing on his mind was Rio’s blood.

Ashley and Royce pushed through the crowd to see what all of
the commotion was about. Ashley noticed Mark and Dylan first. Then her eyes
landed on Rio and Profit, shirtless, standing face to face. Ashley didn’t want
Rio fighting Profit’s hooligan ass. She wanted to march in front of Rio, take
his arm, and make him leave with her but she knew he wouldn’t do it. Against
her better judgment, she stood beside Royce and watched.

“Girl, you can’t tell me that nigga ain’t fine,” Royce
chuckled with a smile as she eyed Rio. “He’s so fine. I wonder what his parents
look like.

The expression on Ashley’s face screamed
don’t fuck with
me
so Royce quickly shut up. Ashley grimaced with anger. Her heart beating
wildly in her chest. Ashley had only been standing there a few minutes and she
had to check herself many times. Knowing that it wasn’t her battle did nothing
for the way she was feeling when Rio and Profit squared up. Profit jumped
around throwing jabs as if he was in a boxing ring.

Rio shook his head with his bottom lip slightly pocked out
in a taunting manner. Angry and determined, Profit threw another punch that
landed on the side of Rio’s head. Rio took it like a man and landed two punches
to Profit’s eye. The other busted his lip wide open. Both men continued to
throw punch after punch until Rio hit Profit so hard he stumbled back. “Nigga
this ain’t a fucking game, Rio barked as spittle flew from his mouth.

Ashley shook her head. If Mark or Dylan wasn’t going to
break it up then she was. She pushed her way through the crowd until she was
only inches away from Rio.

“Ash, what the fuck are you doing? This street shit ma let
him handle that,” Willie seethed while securing his arms around her tiny waist.

“Stop! Stop!” she screamed as she broke free from Willies
embrace.

Praying she didn’t get hit, she rushed to Rio’s side and
pushed him away from the crowd. His eyes were on Profit so he didn’t even
notice Ashley right away.

“Rio,” she whispered before touching the side of his face
where he’d been hit. The dark glare in his eyes vanished when he looked down at
her.

“Move out the way and let these two finish their business,”
Finesse spoke loudly while bystanders cheered.

Rio’s eyebrows contoured. “Ashley, take your ass home.”

 He nudged her away from him. Rio jogged back over to Profit
and hit him in the face once more before it broke out until a full out brawl. No
one never saw Willie pull out his gun and started shooting up in the air. People
started screaming and running away from the same scene they were engrossed in
only minutes ago. Royce ran up to Ashley and grabbed her hand so they could
flee too.

“Hold on, Royce. Stop. I need to make sure Rio is okay.” she
searched the crowd for him.

“Let’s go. He’ll be fine. Do you see all of these people?
It’s too much going on; you’re not going to find him!” Royce yelled as she
continued to pull Ashley further away from the crowd.

Police sirens could be heard in a distance. Ashley knew it
was time to get as far away as she could. There was one thing that she wasn’t
trying to deal with, the boys in blue. Ashley looked to her left when a fight
broke out. The scene was becoming more chaotic by the second. She and Royce got
in her car and sped off in a hurry to get away from the danger and drama.

***

“Don’t let them sirens scare you. Let’s finish this shit,”
Rio barked angrily.

In all of his thirty-three years of living, he’d never felt
so disrespected as he did at that very moment.

Profit bent down on bended knee and connected his right fist
to the concrete. The police sirens were keeping him from doing what he really
wanted to do, finish what he and Rio started.

“Fuck it. Let’s go Profit!” Finesse yelled.

Profit stood up and rubbed his bloody knuckle across his
mouth. “We’ll see your ass around this bitch again.”

“I ain’t going nowhere fuck boy Rio hissed as he eyed the
brothers intensely before they ran off in the crowd.

“Yo, boss, we out!” Buddy yelled as he and Willie got in his
truck and drove off.

Dylan, Mark, and Rio got in Rio’s car and pulled off right
along with the departing crowd.

“How long you think it’s gon’ take us to get rid of them? A
couple of weeks?” Mark asked. .

“Nah, more like a couple of days. Maybe even a week,” Rio
answered.

“Good. Because I’m ready to put them down for a permanent
sleep,” Mark said.

 “I’ll call you later,” Mark replied fifteen minutes later
when Rio pulled into his driveway. He gave Rio and Dylan dap before closing the
car door.

Rio dropped Dylan off at his house a couple of blocks up the
street then Rio headed home. At a red light, he took his phone out of the glove
compartment to check his missed calls and texts. He had a missed call from
Supreme, three text messages from Ashley, and a missed call from Royce. It was
too late to call Supreme back so he made a mental note to call him and Royce
the next day. Rio opened up Ashley’s messages.

Hey you! It’s me call me as soon as you can.

I’m really worried about you. I hope you’re okay.

Rio, I’m getting nervous. Why aren’t you calling me back?

If I don’t hear from you by tomorrow I’m going to just
start thinking...you’re...well, you know.

Rio rubbed his hand down the side of his face. His face was
sore. So were his knuckles but that was the furthest thing from his mind. The
only person he could think about was Ashley.