Resurrection (2 page)
Authors: Treasure Hernandez
“Hi, this is Grace Stocker reporting live from Celebrations nightclub in Flint, Michigan. Last night this was the scene of a deadly shooting. Two people were shot and killed. One was injured. These deaths bring the total to thirty-seven in Flint's murder count, making it one of the most violent cities per capita in America.”
Halleigh shook her head in disbelief. “He didn't show up last night. He was shot,” she whispered. “He was dying.”
As Malek's picture was displayed on the screen again, the newscaster continued, “Malek Johnson was among those individuals involved in the chaos. Two years ago he had been deemed Flint's star and was expected to be the number one draft pick in the NBA. Now he is involved in yet another violent encounter.
“Viewers may remember the violence and chaos that erupted at Berston Park during a basketball game between rival drug dealers that turned deadly. Malek Johnson was shot at that event, and now here we have yet another incident where Malek Johnson has been shot. Just another indication of how bad things are in the city of Flint.”
Halleigh tuned the reporter out and rushed back to the nurse's station. “Is Malek Johnson here?” she asked, knowing there was a good chance that he could be in the hospital somewhere. “Please tell me he's here.”
The nurse typed in Malek's name and nodded her head. “Malek Johnson is in room eight-fourteen.”
Halleigh looked back toward Tasha, who was still grieving uncontrollably over the loss of her brother. She ran over to her and kneeled by her side. “I'll be back, Tasha. I have to go check on Malek. He could be lying up in here dead and I wouldn't even know it. Are you going to be okay?”
Tasha nodded her head.
Halleigh rushed to the nearest elevator in search of Malek. She stepped inside and closed her eyes as she prepared herself for what she was about to see.
Please, God, let him be okay.
Please, God, let him be okay.
Malek, grateful that he was still alive, considered himself lucky to be breathing as he lay on the hospital bed. Something told him to put on his bullet-proof vest the night of Joe's party, and he was glad that he had followed his instincts. His vest was the only thing that saved him from certain death. One of the bullets had struck him in the shoulder, but most of them hit his vest, leaving him with some bad bruises and one gunshot wound. But he would rather have bruises and a bad shoulder than holes any day.
Having seen Jamaica Joe get shot in the head, he couldn't help but feel that he had cheated death. The emotions that he felt for his man were overwhelming. Jamaica Joe had been the one person who had reached out to him after his NBA scandal. Even after the murder of Malek's mother, Jamaica Joe supported him like only family could. Jamaica Joe had become Malek's family, and now Malek had been forced to watch him die.
The doctors had given him Vicodin to take some of his pain away, and the potent prescription drug had him woozy. He could barely keep his eyes open, but he was paranoid that someone wanted him dead, so he made an effort to stay awake. He also knew that the police would have some questions for him. They would want to know how he had acquired a bullet-proof vest, but he wasn't going to stick around and wait for them to question him.
Malek focused his attention on the door as Halleigh walked into the room. The room was dark, but he still recognized her. He could tell by the way that she walked that it was her. Her steps were timid, and she was afraid of the condition that Malek could be in.
“They got Joe, Halleigh. She blew his brains out right in front of me,” he stated without looking up in her direction.
“Oh my God, thank you,” she whispered as she walked to his bedside and kissed his cheek. Her mind wasn't on Jamaica Joe. She was just happy to see that Malek hadn't joined him in death. She sobbed as she kissed his face over and over again.
Tears from her face dripped onto his skin, and he reached out for her hand. “Why you crying, ma?” he asked.
“I don't know. I'm just glad you're okay. When you didn't show up, I thought . . .” She couldn't finish her sentence.
“I'm right here, Hal. I told you I ain't goin' nowhere. It's me and you against the world,” he whispered as he graced her face with his fingertips. “Okay?”
She nodded her head with understanding.
“Now help me out of this bed,” he stated. “I got to get up out of here before the police come through.”
As Halleigh helped him out of the bed, he grimaced. She was careful not to touch his bandaged chest.
“Are you sure you're okay to leave?” she asked.
“Yeah, I'm good. I was wearing a vest, so the shots to the chest didn't penetrate. I took one in the shoulder, though, and my entire arm hurts like shit,” he answered.
Malek reached for Halleigh, and she helped him stand by putting one arm behind his back as he draped his good arm across her shoulder. “Everything's gon' be good, Hal. I promise you, I'ma take care of you.”
“But what about you? You just got shot. Who did this to you?” Halleigh stopped to look into Malek's eyes.
Malek sighed as he felt the throbbing in his chest. He grabbed the back of Halleigh's neck and brought her close as he kissed her on the lips. “Do you trust me?” he asked.
She nodded her head.
“Let me hear you say it.”
“I trust you, Malek.”
“All right then. Let me be your man and take care of you. You don't need to worry about anything.”
Halleigh smiled slightly because she was finally where she wanted to beâwith Malek.
Reminiscent of when the rapper Tupac Shakur had been ambushed and shot in New York City and then immediately checked himself out of the hospital against his doctors' wishes, Malek, fearing that his life was still in jeopardy, decided to “pull a Tupac Shakur,” and checked himself out against medical advice.
Halleigh held onto Malek and helped him into a wheelchair and then wheeled him out of the hospital without ever looking back. They were about to begin a new life together, with Malek as the boss and Halleigh as his wifey.
Tasha stepped into the cold room and stared at the bodies lying on the steel tables and covered with white sheets. Her heart felt as if it would explode from fear. Deep within she knew that her brother was lying lifeless on top of one of the tables.
The coroner looked at the disheveled woman before him, and pity filled her face. A police detective stood in the corner of the room and watched her every move as the coroner led her to one of the bodies.
“Are you ready?” the woman asked as she put her hands on the white sheet.
Tasha wanted to respond, but the huge lump in her throat stopped her from speaking.
After a couple seconds, the coroner pulled the covers back, revealing Maury. Tasha's hand flew to her mouth as she doubled over in grief. “Maury! God, no! No!” she cried as she caressed her deceased brother's face. His skin was cold and held a blue hue. The four bullet holes in his chest were red, and dried-up blood had crusted around the wounds. The coroner nodded toward the detective, who then walked toward Tasha.
“Miss, when your brother was killed, he wasn't alone. We have another victim, a female, and we can't seem to find anyone that knows her. Would you mind taking a look to see if you recognize her?” the detective asked. He didn't even wait for her to agree before leading her over to another steel table.
The coroner followed and then pulled the sheet back.
“Mimi?” Tasha whispered. “Mimi!” Tasha couldn't stop the vomit that came up. She threw up all over the floor. The murder of her brother and her close friend was too much for her to bear. “Why would someone do this?” she asked as she glanced back toward her brother.
“I can't do this,” she stated before racing out of the room. She could hear her heart pounding in her head, and her breathing became erratic and shallow. She couldn't breathe, and her stomach was twisted in knots. Maury's
gone, Mimi's dead. What were they doing together? Who did this?
She couldn't contain her emotions. She didn't even make it down the hallway before she passed out on the hospital floor.
gone, Mimi's dead. What were they doing together? Who did this?
She couldn't contain her emotions. She didn't even make it down the hallway before she passed out on the hospital floor.
When she came to, she was in no position to deal with detectives, but at the same time, she had to pull herself together because she wanted to help the police find the people who had done this to two of the people that she was closest to in this world.
“Tasha, we had several uniformed police officers taking statements after the violence erupted at Celebrations nightclub. And although Mimi and your brother were not killed at the nightclub, when we found out about their murders, we were able to go and re-interview some of the people who had given statements to the uniformed officers. At least three people have verified that they saw Malek Johnson leaving Celebrations with Mimi. So, before we question Mr. Johnson, we want to know from you if know Malek Johnson.”
Tahsa's heartbeat immediately picked up, and while she ignored the cop's question, she wracked her brain, trying to think back to everything that had transpired the night before. And before she knew it, a light bulb went off in her head, and she could see the whole layout of the VIP area. Yes, she definitely remembered seeing Malek and Mimi talking.
What the fuck?
“Tasha, I know this is difficult, but if there is anything you can think of, it will probably help, no matter how small of a detail you may think it is.”
“Malek? Yeah, who in Flint doesn't know Malek Johnson? He was damn near the LeBron James of Flint.”
“Did you happen to see him with Mimi at Celebrations?”
Tasha paused; then she looked at the detective and shook her head. “Nah, to be honest, I seen Malek that night, but I never saw him with Mimi,” Tasha lied. She didn't know what angle the cops were coming from, but she was street-smart enough to know to keep her fucking mouth shut, especially when it came to talking to “Jake.”
Something the fuck ain't right!
Tasha thought, but she just couldn't figure out what it was. She knew that she had to speak to both Halleigh and Malek to see if she could make sense out of Malek's name being in the police's mouth. She knew that if they had suspicions about Malek having something to do with Mimi's murder, then they also had to have suspicions about him being in on Maury's murder.
Tasha thought, but she just couldn't figure out what it was. She knew that she had to speak to both Halleigh and Malek to see if she could make sense out of Malek's name being in the police's mouth. She knew that if they had suspicions about Malek having something to do with Mimi's murder, then they also had to have suspicions about him being in on Maury's murder.
What the fuck?
Tasha couldn't help but notice how things seemed like they were quickly going from bad to worse.
Tasha couldn't help but notice how things seemed like they were quickly going from bad to worse.
Chapter Two
A
fter she helped Malek into the backseat of the cab, Halleigh turned back toward the hospital.
fter she helped Malek into the backseat of the cab, Halleigh turned back toward the hospital.
Malek could see her hesitation. “What we waiting on, Hal? Let's get out of here.” Malek held out his hand for her.
“Tasha is in there, Malek. Her brother was killed last night. I have to go check on her,” Halleigh stated. “Just wait five minutes for me.”
Malek shook his head and replied, “Nah, ma, you've got to leave that life alone. All those chicks you were rolling with are dead to you now. I don't want you around anything or anyone that links you to that nigga Manolo, understand?”
“But, Malek, she's my friend and she needs me,” Halleigh pleaded as she looked back at the hospital doors.
“So do I, Hal. I need you, and you can't have both worlds. You either with me, or you not. If you choose me, all that Manolo Mami shit and all the drugs you was fucking with got to be a thing of the past.”
Halleigh looked back one last time at the hospital and then got into the cab with Malek. Her heart ached as the cab pulled away from the hospital. Malek was putting her between a rock and a hard place. Tasha was her closest friend, and now she was abandoning her.
She needs me,
Hal thought as a tear slid down her face.
Hal thought as a tear slid down her face.
Malek quickly wiped it away. “This is a new beginning, Hal,” he whispered as he pulled her head near and kissed the side of her face.
Halleigh gave him a weak smile as she reached out for his hand and intertwined her fingers with his. The warmth that generated between them was something that she'd been wanting to feel for the past two years, and now that she had found her way back to him, she was never letting go. She told herself that she had to sacrifice her friendship with Tasha in order to save her relationship with Malek.
He's worth it,
she thought.
she thought.
Against Malek's better judgment, they pulled up to his one-bedroom apartment, and she helped him out of the cab and up the steps to the third floor. Malek didn't let Halleigh know it, but he was feeling a bit paranoid. He wanted to avoid his South Side enemies, and at the same time, he wanted to avoid any questions from the police, so he knew that going to his crib wasn't the best idea. But in the condition that he was in, he really wanted to avoid moving around too much.
When they entered the apartment, Halleigh helped him to the bedroom and sat him down on the edge of the bed. Malek looked up at her, and for the first time, he noticed a change in her, a sexy matureness. She seemed to have lost her girlhood innocence in a way that made her look and come across more mature, more sexy.
“You look good, Hal,” he commented.
The two years that they had been separated had matured her, but they had also hardened her. She put her head down as she thought of all that she'd been through.
Malek immediately noticed her embarrassment, but didn't comment on it. He didn't want to make her feel worse than she already did. He was aware that she would have to rebuild her self-confidence. He only hoped that she would eventually be the same girl that he had known before her life was turned upside down.
Malek pulled her down onto the bed and she lay directly underneath him. The smell of her was intoxicating, and for the first time in two years, he felt whole. Halleigh was the missing piece to his life puzzle, and now that she was back, he was determined to never let her go.
“Hold up,” he said as he eased out of the bed and went into a safe in his closet. He pulled out a .45 automatic and went to make sure that his apartment door was locked. After taking shots to the chest, he was paranoid. He knew that somebody wanted him dead and that he had to be on point until he got to the bottom of it.
He went back to the room, lay down next to Hal, and put the handgun beside his pillow as a precaution.
Hal snuggled closed to him, and he held her in his arms. It hurt like hell, but in spite of the physical pain he was feeling, he had to hold Halleigh just to have her close to him. The silence between them was a comfortable one, and eventually it transformed into the first comfortable sleep that either of them had experienced in more than two years.
The next morning Malek awoke to excruciating pain shooting up and down the left side of his body. He knew that his arm would hurt, but he had no idea how badly. He was careful not to disturb Halleigh as he got out of bed and made his way to the bathroom. He opened the medicine cabinet and retrieved some Tylenol. Taking five at a time, he hoped that the mild over-the-counter drug would relieve his pain.
His thoughts drifted to Jamaica Joe, and he gripped the sink in agony over the thought of losing his mentor. Now it was his time to step up to the plate, but it didn't feel right without Jamaica Joe by his side. Jamaica Joe had ensured that he'd learned all that he needed to know regarding the streets, but Malek knew that he had some big shoes to fill.
At 20, he was in a position to be the king of the streets. The North Side belonged to him. He had managed to save $50,000 while hustling under Joe. It wasn't much, but it was more than the average hustler had in Flint.
He needed to come up with a plan. He already had the connect. Joe had made sure that he was in line with a supreme coke supplier, so that wasn't an issue. The problem was Fredro didn't deal in small quantities. He supplied Jamaica Joe kilos in bulk, and Malek's money wasn't long enough to cop the usual twenty-five ki's. Fredro was giving up the goods for ten stacks a ki, but that price came along with the agreement that he would buy the same amount each time. Malek needed $200,000 more to make the deal happen, which meant he had to flip and re-flip his money in order to fuck with Fredro.
Malek looked in his bathroom mirror and saw Halleigh enter the room. She walked up behind him and wrapped her arms around his body, resting her face on his toned upper back.
“Hey, you,” she greeted with a sincere smile. “How you feel?”
“I'm good,” he replied as he turned around and kissed her on the forehead. “Just thinking about everything. I just can't believe I'm about to bury my man in a few days. That shit is fucking with me, Hal. You don't know. Joe been like family since the first day we met. I should've talked him out of throwing that party. He would still be here if I had been smarter.”
“I didn't know Jamaica Joe that well, but I'm sorry that his death is hurting you, Malek. I do know that his death ain't on you, though. You can't control anybody else's destiny. If you could, none of this would've ever happened to us.
“I just want you to be okay. I want us to be how we were before all this bullshit sent us in different directions,” she said. “Do you think we'll ever get back everything that we lost? I mean, time is something that you can't make up for. Two years have passed us by. We haven't spoken or touched one another.
“I'm not the same person that I was at seventeen. Do you think you can learn to love the new me?”
Halleigh was right. She didn't know Jamaica Joe that well, definitely not the way Malek knew him. Malek knew that he would've been sitting in the jail cell probably doing football numbers, if it weren't for Jamaica Joe, who, out of the kindness of his heart when he didn't even know Malek, had his own lawyer defend Malek on the stickup that he had ended up catching a case for.
Malek also knew that Jamaica Joe had validated him when he put him on making him a major player in the drug game almost overnight. Yup, Malek knew that he would've been broke, forgotten about, in jail, and always referred to as the dumb muthafucka who fucked up his shot at NBA riches.
“I don't have to learn to love you, Hal. You a part of me, so I can never stop caring for you. We've got some issues that we need to work through, but we gon' be all right. I'ma make sure of that. I'm not the same person either. We all grow. Whether we grow for the good or bad is up to us. I'm about to be the king of this shit, believe that. All you gon' have to worry about is making your man look good, a'ight. Stand by your man and everything will be good for us.”
Malek went into his room and into his safe. He pulled out two rubber-banded stacks of money and tossed them to Halleigh. “Go buy yourself some new gear. I don't want you in nothing some other nigga bought for you. Make sure you get a dress to wear to Joe's funeral.”
Halleigh accepted the money. She had no desire to go to Jamaica Joe's funeral, but she knew that she had to go. Halleigh knew that the average person would never understand what it was like to not want to go to certain events out of fear constantly wondering if you were gonna run into someone who had paid to fuck you. That was the main reason she didn't want to go to the funeral. But she also knew that Malek expected her to go, and she didn't want to disappoint him.
She wanted to be at Maury's funeral to pay her respects and be there for her girl, but she knew Malek would never allow it. She had been down with the South Side for so long, it was going to be hard for her to adjust her loyalty. She was never loyal to Manolo or Sweets, but her girls were all she had, and she had grown to love them both. They had been her sisters. Just like Malek was connected to Joe, she was connected to them. Mimi and Tasha were the ones who'd helped her make it through their pimp's controlling and viciously abusive ways. They had also helped her make it through her drug addiction, which she had used as an escape from the emotional bondage that prostitution had held her in.
More importantly, they had helped her and helped themselves literally escape from the clutches of Manolo, their pimp. Now they were off-limits to her, and she couldn't help but feel like a traitor. She at least wanted to say goodbye to her girls.
“Malek, I know you don't want me to be around Tasha or Mimi, but I really need to go back and get some of my things. I don't need to bring my old clothes, but there are some personal items that I'd like to keep,” she stated.
Malek looked at her skeptically.
“I promise it will be quick. I just need to pick up a few things,” she said, trying to reassure him.
Malek agreed, and an hour later, he was driving her out to the suburbs of Flint to the apartment that she'd shared with her friends.
When Malek pulled up to the apartment complex, Halleigh saw that Tasha's car was parked in her normal spot. She looked over at Malek and said, “I'll be right back.”
“Take your time and make sure you have everything you need. There's no coming back here after today,” he stated seriously.
Halleigh nodded and took a deep breath as she exited the car and entered the building.
She used her key to enter the apartment. It was silent inside as she made her way back to Tasha's room. She knocked lightly before entering. “Tash,” she called out.
Tasha didn't respond. Her back was toward Halleigh, and she was curled up in a fetal position on her bed. Her hair was all over her head, and she stared blankly at the wall in front of her.
Halleigh walked over to her bed, sat on the edge of it, and stroked Tasha's hair lightly. “Tash, I've got to talk to you about something, and I don't have a lot ofâ”
“She's dead too,” Tasha interrupted.
“What? Who?” Hal asked in confusion.
“Mimi's dead,” she stated through her cries. “She was with Maury when he got killed.”
Halleigh's mouth dropped open. She whispered, “No, Tasha, please tell me you're lying.”
Tasha didn't respond.
“Tasha! Please!” she begged, hoping that the news wasn't true.
“Halleigh, she's gone! They're both gone!” Tasha stated. “We're all we got.”
Those words made Halleigh feel ten times worse than she already did. Tasha needed her, yet Halleigh was here to tell her that she was letting go of everything and everyone that reminded her of her past.
“Tash, we need to talk,” she began. She tried to swallow the lump in her throat, but it wasn't going away. “I can't stay here, Tash. I have to move on with my life, Tasha. Malek doesn't want me toâ”
“Malek? Hal, my brother and our friend were just killed. I have been here for you since the day I met you. You mean to tell me, just because you back with that nigga, you gon' act like I don't exist? You are like my sister.” Tasha stood up from her bed.
“Tasha, it's not like that! I love you. You're my girl. I just can't afford to lose Malek again.”
“The world doesn't revolve around Malek, Halleigh!”
“My world does! I met you in a whorehouse. You were the madame that was supposed to help my pimp keep me in line! Malek doesn't understand how you helped me. He doesn't want me around anybody that is down with the South Side. I have to respect it, Tasha. He's my man, and I love him.”
“So fuck me and everybody who gave a damn about you when he left you for dead?” Tasha yelled, with one hand on her hip as she stared incredulously at her friend. “Fuck me, fuck Mimi. Fuck Maury too, Halleigh? My brother loved you. I've never seen him look at a chick the way he looked at you. Fuck him, though. Fuck that he came here to look after your skinny ass!”
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