The Syndicate (11 page)

When Lamont's laughter broke the silence in the room, the Forty Thieves cleared a way out for me. Little brother hopped from where he was behind the bar, swinging a bat that he had taken from one of the Irish. That wild-eyed kid swung that bitch out and smashed their shit up before using it to barricade the rest of them who kept coming from the kitchens behind their swing door. At that same time, I took a final look around. Several of the Irish lay on their asses holding their heads, sides, or whatever parts of their body as I dropped Ennis to the floor. I focused my attention on Ennis where he lay bleeding out with a lopsided grin.

Today was a good day. I gave Lucky and Lamont a salute for holding it down, along with the Forty Thieves; then we then exited as quickly as possible. We all knew this battle wasn't over and I looked forward to our next “meeting” in the future.

After jetting by police and biking Irish, we finally made it back to Lucky's digs we had provided for him. Wiping my face, I casually glanced his way while he laughed and pulled at his shirt.

“Damn, again. This is how you do welcoming parties?” he said in his light accent. He rubbed his knuckles while wiping down his face and looking through the windows of our ride.

“You know it. Sometimes, to make changes, you have to kick up the sand. It's smart not to let the sand blow back in your eyes, but if you're prepared for it then you can make it through the storm, feel me?” I said chuckling and rubbing my jaw.

“Bro and his occasional philosophy,” Lamont said climbing out of the car while rolling his shoulder and arm around. He closed the door behind him and looked around as was his job as my security.

Reaching my hand out to Lucky, brother took it in an amiable handshake. “You have my respect with how you knocked heads back in the pub, friend. Mama was right about seeking you out,” I said watching him closely.

The nigga in me wanted to go deeper in my thanks to him with laying out an ultimatum in how he handled himself around Shanelle. But on some real shit with how the streets raised me, I'd have rather watched if shit went left, and let people hang themselves later. Shanelle and I had history and issues with cheating, so I was leery, but I wasn't a dumb nigga. She was attractive and so was he, so we'd see how far my trust could go.

Lifting our hands up and down in a familiar handshake I slid back as he moved to the door. “I've never been about Southern living but, my friend, you got my attention. Turning away your invitation was not going to happen, so I thank you and will make you and the Syndicate very happy with my seat. Contact me anytime. I'm down with your style of entertainment.” Chucking the deuces, Lucky adjusted his shades then stepped out walking into the condo we set him up in while Lamont slid back in the driver seat taking me to our outpost home.

Once there, I showered then changed clothes. With Lamont behind me, I was on my way out to check into work when my cell went off. “Talk to me,” I said recognizing the number.

“I called Cory but he hasn't come yet and Uncle Snap hasn't answered his cell,” I heard Melissa say in rapid panic as she went into detail about Jojo and Naveen going at it again.

On edge from how rapidly she was speaking, I took a moment to calm her. “Hold up, sis, slow down. What is going on with Naveen and Jojo?”

“They are fighting again, tearing up Mama's living room! I tried to calm them but . . .” Tears made her speak slurred as she sniffled.

“Uncle Snap is in Lawrenceville. He should be coming back this way but, listen, I'm on my way with Lamont now,” I said pissed off.

“What's going on?” Lamont asked as we locked up.

“Jojo and Naveen are at it again, pissing me off,” I said as we stormed out of the loft.

Once in the car it didn't take us long to get to Mama's. We took a minute to make sure the area was clear before parking. Both of us rushed in the house. Immediately we heard nothing but, “Fuck you,” and, “Nigga,” and other bullshit. It took me two strides to cut between them. Yoking Naveen back by the chest, my lips formed a thin line in my anger.

“Chill!” I said low against Naveen's ear.

My body along with my hands were sore from fighting the Irish, so it was working my last nerve having to deal with my own brothers like this. Naveen struggled trying to get at Jojo again. Broken plates and pieces of the Mist e-cigarettes were everywhere with pictures of us all and Naveen's tools strewn in the mix of chaos. The house shook from Lamont struggling with Jojo and I just stared at them both in confusion. Not missing a beat, I locked Naveen's arms behind him holding him back.

“This shit about Mama again?” Lamont asked between gritted teeth.

“He's still can't do shit right, still slacking just like he did with Mama!” Naveen spat out trying to get to Jojo.

“I wasn't slacking! Why you hating, nigga? Why can't you just chill and let me do me!” Jojo pleaded in anger.

“Because that's how people get killed, just like Mama! What the fuck is wrong with you, Jojo! Where were you when you were supposed to pick up Mama?” Naveen said in angst.

Both teens had red-rimmed eyes. Watching them, I was reminded just how young they were. I hated how these two were so broken. They used to be close and now this shit. Moving Naveen behind me, I held him back and looked at Jojo.

“There's something about this whole thing with Mama that you're not telling us. We all used to try to be somewhat one hundred with each other and I need us back to that, Jojo,” I said trying to keep my voice even.

Lamont gave a nod then muttered, “Yeah.”

“Right, so, I need you to man up and be real with us because it looks like Naveen can't let this rest without hurting you and I don't want that for either of my little brothers. Especially with what's going on now, feel me? So, if you can't tell Lamont, or Naveen, tell me. I got you. I mean that because I love you,” I said bending some so that I could look Jojo in the eyes.

Jojo bowed his head, relaxing and pulling away from Lamont to fix his glasses. He turned his back on us, and I motioned for Naveen and Lamont to leave.

“Let me handle this,” I muttered. “Don't press me about this, Naveen. Just do as I'm asking. A'ight?”

Naveen, being stubborn like me, watched me with pain in his eyes, glanced at Jojo, then walked off outside, with Lamont following him. I listened to the screen slam shut, then I sighed.

“So, what went on, Jojo?” I calmly asked walking up on my baby brother.

Jojo was so rigged that it worried me. But as I listened, I could hear him crying. Reaching out I pulled him into a brotherly hug.

“What happened?” I muttered. “Did you see something you weren't supposed to? Did you do something you weren't so supposed to? What?”

“I didn't mean to leave her like that. I wasn't trying to . . . I was about to get her but—”

The sound of the door opening caused Jojo to cut off his words. When we both turned to see who had come in, Jojo's spine stiffened. His jaw clenched tight. His hands turned into fists and he pushed me off of him.

Puzzled, I looked down at dude. “Jo?”

“Everything good?” Cory asked as he walked through. “Got a call that y'all were being asses and fighting again.” Cory slid his hands in his pockets. I watched him partially tilt his head to look at Jojo while raising an eyebrow.

An intense tension formed between the pair and I didn't understand it at all. I glanced between Jojo and Cory, noticing how Jo's eyes seemed to darken.

“It's all good. I just need y'all to leave me alone,” was all Jojo said and he stormed out through the kitchen.

I realized that, for whatever reason, Jojo was avoiding Cory and it made me wonder what was really going on.

My world was coming undone. I was going to let Mom down. There was no doubt about it. I was sure I'd already done so. So much shit was going on and I had nobody to tell. I couldn't tell Javon. He would flip his shit. I knew he would. Von didn't put up with foolish shit and if he found out half the crap I had been doing, he would put his foot in my ass.

I plopped down on my bed and sighed.
Shit, man.
I knew secrets that were weighing on my heart. Secrets about Inez and Cory. Secrets about Melissa. Secrets about the day Mom got killed. My heart was so heavy it ached.

“God, help me,” I said aloud. “What am I supposed to do with all this shit?”

Not everything was as perfect as Mom thought it was with her kids. The only perfect kids she had were probably Javon and Shanelle. They were actually what Mom had envisioned them to be. All the rest of us were faking it to make it. I was sick of Naveen cutting his eyes at me and looking at me like he always wanted to fight me, too. I didn't know what I did to him besides the fact he blamed me for Mom being killed.

I was lying; I knew why he was mad today. I started the fight this time and would start the next one if I caught him snitching to Cory about Inez again. Cory could do no wrong in Naveen's eyes. To Naveen, Cory was the fun guy while Javon was the one who got in our asses if we did something we knew wasn't right.

I stood and grabbed my backpack. I looked inside and shook my head. Little pills the color of Skittles peeked out at me. Before Mom got killed, I'd been mixing and making these “Poppers” in my lab. It was a mixture of ecstasy and hashish. Since hashish was in the cannabis family, being that hashish was the THC-rich resinous material of the cannabis plant, it was easy to dry it then compress it into cookie-like sheets. Once compressed into that cookie-like sheet, I let it harden; then I turned it into powder. Took me a minute to get the chemical compounds in the ecstasy and the hashish to work together like I wanted it, but once I got it down, the shit started selling like hotcakes at school and around colleges. Rich white kids loved that shit.

I ran a hand down my face. Mom had no idea that, before she died, I was already what she didn't want me to be before. I grabbed her picture from my nightstand then lay back on my full-sized bed.

“Sorry, Ma. I know you're mad disappointed in me, especially since I know you know everything I been doing since you can see me from heaven now. I'm sorry, and I promise I'ma chill on what I'm doing. See, Ma, you didn't tell us you were like this rich old lady so all this time I was selling them drugs trying to save up so when I went off to college you could go like on vacation or some shit you know? I ain't know you was on some Stephanie St. Clair, queen pin stuff or I wouldn't have done any of this,” I confessed to her.

Water burned my lids as I glanced out the window. “Everything falling apart now, Ma. I know you see it—”

I stopped talking when the knob on my door turned. Once I saw who it was, I jumped off my bed and stood defensively. “What the fuck do you want, Cory?” I asked.

He walked in casually. His pupils were dilated so I knew he was angry or high or something. He walked around my room and pretended like he was interested in my science awards on the wall or my pictures and science books.

“Just checking to make sure you cool. You good right?” he asked as he turned to look at me.

“Stop making Naveen your fucking snitch. I know he told you about Inez and Shanelle fighting. I walked in on him doing it. You hit Inez again?” I asked him.

That was the secret between him and me. I'd walked in on it once and didn't try to hide that I'd seen it, but Inez begged me not to say anything so I didn't, but I tried to avoid Cory like the plague these days. Not to mention that he found out about my little secret. So between giving him half of my supply so he could sell it to Inez and her friends as well as to his colleagues, he and I ain't really have shit to talk about.

I loved my brother, I did. But he had some fucked-up ways about him, especially when he was high. I didn't like to piss him off either. I'd seen what he could do when he was angry and I didn't want no part of it. I wasn't a fighter. I'd rather talk myself out of tough situations. I'd been bullied at school about it a couple of times, but when I told Cory a group of white boys had robbed me of my money and my stash, he handled it and I didn't have a problem since, but none of the boys were able to play lacrosse again either.

“What me and Inez do ain't none of your business, li'l nigga, and nobody else's either. If I find out you opened your mouth and said anything, we're going to have a problem, Jojo, understand me?” he asked.

I knew he wasn't bullshitting, but I didn't care. “If you hit her again, I'm telling Von,” I told him in all seriousness.

I expected Cory to threaten me with violence and bodily harm, but all he did was smirk and then chuckle. “He won't believe you and Nez will deny it. So there's that. You snitch me out and I tell the whole fam what you were really doing the day Mama got killed and why you couldn't pick her up.”

That brought my bravado down a bit. My heart stopped a little, too. I didn't want my family to know why I was late picking Mama up. Didn't need to see the disappointment in their eyes or the accusatory glances. The guilt I already felt was threatening to kill me. My brother and I stared one another down like mortal enemies.

Cory ran a hand through his locs then pointed at my book bag. “You got that for me, though?” he asked like he and I were standing on the other side of enemy lines.

I tossed him the whole book bag, harder than I'd intended. Cory caught it then made a move toward me until the door opened again.

Javon stuck his head in the door. He looked from me to Cory then from Cory back to me. “Everything chill in here?” he asked.

“Yeah, we straight. I was just making sure Jojo was cool after everything,” Cory said, tossing one strap of the book bag over his shoulder. “I'll be back later,” he said to Von. “Unless you need me right now?”

Javon studied Cory closely for a moment. “Nah, just meet me back at the club tomorrow morning. We need to discuss family business.”

Cory smiled like he had no problems. “I'll be there before you will,” he said as he slapped Von on the shoulder and walked out.

I knew my oldest brother and I knew his mind was ticking a mile a minute. I always tried to watch my facial features around him. He could always pick up on stuff that way. So I removed the scowl I'd set for Cory when Von brought his attention back to me.

“You know you can talk to me about anything, right?” he said to me as he stood to his full height and crossed his arms over his chest.

I nodded. “Yeah, I know, bro.”

“Anything. And if anyone is fucking with you or making you do shit you don't want to, you know can come to me right?”

“Yeah.”

“You better not get yourself into any shit, Jojo. Understand me? I'm letting you into the business by allowing your cigarettes into the club, but don't make me regret this shit, a'ight?”

I chuckled trying to hide my mood and my nervousness. “I won't. I swear.”

Von didn't say anything for a while, still studying me. I prayed like hell he didn't ask me anything else because I knew if he kept on asking, he was going to break me down sooner or later. There was only so much of his interrogating I could take before I folded.

I was happy when he nodded once then walked out of my room, closing the door behind him. I sighed hard then plopped back on my bed. I was way too young for all the shit that had been placed on me and if I wasn't careful the walls were going to cave in soon.