Young-Minded Hustler (23 page)

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Authors: Tysha

BOOK: Young-Minded Hustler
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Chapter 35
My Brother's Keeper
Jayden lay in his hospital bed listening to his brother update him on everything that went on after his accident. He couldn't believe what he was hearing. Prince felt Jayden had a right to know. Their mother would probably be mad but Prince had no problem taking that chance. Jayden needed know who had betrayed their family.
“Raequan shot me? Are you sure about that information? You know the streets get it wrong sometimes,” Jayden asked with much skepticism.
“Bro, that nigga pulled the trigger on us. He's a bitch nigga fo' sho. Ain't no more Rae as far as I'm concerned. That's my word,” Prince said.
“Raequan was always foul and jealous of us but this is out there. Did Roberts put him up to it?” Jayden quizzed.
“Man, I ain't a hundred percent sure but it all adds up. He flipped the script on me behind bars then dat nigga shot my shit up. Rae had to know I'd come after him for opening fire on us. He doesn't have it in him to even come up with a plot against me. Roberts had to be pumping dat nigga head up with false dreams,” Prince replied.
“Did he know he's our brother all along? How could Cherise do that to Mommy and still be smiling in her face?” Jayden asked but was really making a statement.
“Oh, she's gon' get it, too. True dat. Mommy been acting like it ain't bothering her because of us being down but she's going through it,” Prince sympathetically explained.
“You know how Mommy is. She won't let us see it but her heart has to be broken. How can she deal with the hurt and pain Daddy caused her and he's dead? There's more to it than just Daddy getting with Cherise. I bet any money there's a story behind it all.”
“Whatever, it was fucked up fo' him to do Mommy like that. I don't give a fuck, Raequan ain't nothin' ta me no more. Let that bitch eat shit and live,” Prince said angrily.
The twins both sat in deep thought. They both had questions for their father that would forever go unanswered. Their father was bigger than life to Prince. Jayden had equated his father to every superhero rolled into one. Finding out that he played their mother was difficult. Neither of them knew how to deal with the pain, but for now, it didn't matter. Getting their mother through it was mandatory.
Brianna and Monica walked in smelling like flowers. Their arrival interrupted the twins' conversation. It was a welcomed distraction for the sorrow they were feeling.
“Good morning, Prince, how are you feeling this morning?” Brianna spoke as she passed his bed.
“What up,” Prince replied and turned his attention to Monica. “Girl, you better come give me one before I go off,” Prince joked with Monica. She had been by his side almost as much as his mother had. He loved her for that. Monica gave Prince the sloppy kiss he wanted.
“Hi Prince! Hey Jayden!” Princess sang. She was in a playful mood and excited to see the twins.
“Hey, Baby Girl!” Prince and Jayden responded simultaneously with surprise.
Princess climbed onto Prince's bed and planted a kiss on his cheek. In a split second, Jayden received the same show of affection. The caffeine from the Pepsi she'd talked Monica into letting her drink had Princess jittery and hyper. Princess raced over to the chair she and her mother had slept in, and began playing with the television remote and experimenting with the various positions on the La-Z-Boy. Brianna stood between the huge window and Jayden's bed. She stroked the top of his head and laughed at his need for a haircut.
“How's my baby feeling?” Brianna asked in a playful voice.
“I'm good now. It's about time you got here. Me and Prince were shocked when we woke up and found nobody here. Where's our mother?” Jayden reached for Brianna's hand.
“She's at home fussing over everything. Princess was helping her so she asked us to come in her place and bring Baby Girl with us,” Brianna explained.
“What's there to fuss over? The house is always spotless so she can't be cleaning.” Prince joined Jayden and Brianna's conversation.
“Y'all know everything has to be perfect for your homecoming,” Monica added.
“How does she know when that will be?” Jayden asked.
“Yeah, doc ain't said shit 'bout us gettin' up out of here,” Prince spoke.
“Until now.” Dr. Fitzgerald made his presence known. “How do you boys feel about going home today?” He made his way to the middle of the room. His attention was focused on the charts hanging on the foot of the hospital beds.
“Are you serious?” the twins said excitedly
“I think you both will do fine at home. You'll probably heal faster being in your own environment. There's one condition: take it easy. Don't do anything strenuous, eat right, and make every doctor's appointment. I'm letting you go home but that doesn't mean you're healed. You both had major surgeries and your bodies need rest,” Dr. Fitzgerald explained.
“Yes, sir. We hear you,” Jayden said happily.
“You got dat, doc. My momma's gon' be a drill sergeant, trust dat,” Prince joked.
“I know she will. That's the only reason I'm releasing you guys. I've witnessed your mother in action myself. You'll be in good hands.” Dr. Fitzgerald laughed.
Dr. Fitzgerald said his good-byes to the twins and left the room. By the time Brianna and Monica helped Jayden and Prince get dressed, Nurse Gordon was reading off their aftercare instructions. Brianna and Monica followed every word while Jayden and Prince only heard half of what she said. All they cared about was going home.
 
 
For the past few weeks, the only thing on Dwayne's mind was death. Fear that someone was out to end his life had him operating on fumes. Every bump in the night had him horrified. His nerves were frayed. It was all too much for him. Dwayne had a gut feeling that Roberts's death was no accidental overdose. If his suspicions were right, he and Raequan were living on borrowed time. Dwayne had tried to warn Raequan only to be dismissed as being paranoid. Raequan thought Dwayne was being insensible. He failed to recognize his own acts as destructible. Raequan continued to live on the edge as if he didn't have a care in the world. Dwayne found it impossible to do the same. That's why he'd been casing out the McGee household for three weeks.
Dwayne knew Prince had been hospitalized but he figured they had to release him sooner or later. When that day came, Dwayne would be ready to attack. He was tired of waiting for the bogeyman to find him in the middle of the night. The plan was to do what Roberts had been afraid to do. Kill Prince. Prince was going to find out how it felt being a sitting duck. Shy was a good woman and under different circumstances, Dwayne would've tried to build a life with her. She had been married to the villain who ended his brother's life. Unlike Roberts, he had no desire to avenge his brother's death by punishing Melvin's offspring. He did, however, want to preserve his own. The twins had humiliated him and for that, Dwayne wanted payback. Being beaten and left for dead was humiliating. Roberts and Raequan took every opportunity to remind him of the beat down the McGee boys had put on him. Their taunting made it impossible for Dwayne to let it go. Instead, Dwayne's manhood had been reduced to rubble. He felt the only way to get it back was by retaliation. That's why Dwayne took pleasure in driving the car when Raequan pulled the drive-by on the twins. Dwayne pumped his chest at his involvement but continued to be belittled by Raequan and Roberts. Just the thought of it all made Dwayne's chest tight.
He left his painful thought behind when he noticed two teenage girls exit the house with little Princess tagging along. They were carrying duffle bags and smiling from ear to ear. Dwayne's gut told him they would lead him to his prey. Dwayne watched as they practically skipped to Prince's newly renovated candy-apple painted '83 Bonneville.
This is it. They're going to get that punk-ass Prince from the hospital. Why else would they drive his car? It ain't moved in weeks,
thought Dwayne. He followed them at a safe distance, trying not to be noticed. Dwayne was so excited that his substandard-sized penis became erect.
Both Prince and Jayden were wheeled out of the hospital. Dwayne felt like a kid on Christmas morning when he saw confirmation that his instincts were correct. They were assisted into the car by the nurses. From Dwayne's view, they looked healthy. Unfortunately, they also looked exactly alike. Dwayne had no way to tell Prince from Jayden. “Fuck it. I'll just have to put them both down. Prince is dying today. I like breathing,” Dwayne said aloud as if he weren't alone. He kept close watch on his prey. One twin got into the front passenger seat's the other was assisted into the rear driver side. Princess hopped into the back, with the girls filling the remaining seats. Dwayne figured it was Prince in the front since they were riding in his car. He assumed the girls had to be the twins' girlfriends. His need for self-preservation prevented Dwayne from calling off his plan until a time when his target was alone. It was now or never. Should a bullet find Jayden or one of the girls, they would be considered casualties of war.
Dwayne had driven Raequan's hoopty for a couple of weeks. Raequan was clueless to Dwayne's plan. He assumed Dwayne needed wheels to get around. Since he'd just bought a new ride, Raequan told Dwayne he could keep the car for as long as he needed. The Bonneville pulled away from the hospital with a gray 1993 Cavalier on its back bumper. Now that the time had come, Dwayne started sweating profusely. His heart felt like it was going to pump out of his chest. Fear was sinking in but Dwayne didn't care. Nothing would stop him from seeing another day. Dwayne picked up the 9 mm automatic from the passenger seat and prepared to take aim.
Princess sat next to her big brother with her head rested on his right arm. She was surrounded by all of her favorite people. If her mother were with them, her birthday would've been perfect. Shy and Princess had spent the better part of their morning getting the twins' bedrooms ready. When Princess heard that her big brothers were finally coming home, she insisted on riding with Brianna and Monica to pick them up. She was in heaven.
Prince and Jayden matched their baby sister's excitement about going home. Per Prince's instructions, Monica kept both hands on the steering wheel, sure not to go over the speed limit. She drove through downtown to the bridge that led to the south side of town. Monica thought Market Street would have been the better choice but Prince wanted to see who was out hustling on the strip.
“Girl, be careful rounding up this hill. People can't drive and be swerving in dis lane speeding down this steep-ass street,” Prince said like the typical backseat driver.
“I got it, baby, just relax,” Monica responded, trying not to sound annoyed.
Monica looked into the rearview mirror and noticed the same car had been following them since leaving the hospital. She hadn't given it any thought until the driver sped up trying to pass them.
“This dude is tripping. He been behind us all this time and is just now trying to pass us,” Monica told Prince.
Prince reached under his seat for the .38 he kept for emergencies.
“Hit the gas, babe. Keep your eye on the road. Jay, y'all duck and cover Baby Girl,” Prince ordered.
His opponent had gotten the drop on them and was able to get off the first shots but Dwayne was no match for a professional. Anybody could hit a stable target but connecting with precision while on the move was something totally different. Prince let off bullet after bullet. Monica sped past the assailant and Prince kept shooting. Prince realized Dwayne was driving Raequan's car.
The screams from the girls only fueled Prince's anger. Dwayne was a true pussy to do some foul shit with a little girl in the car. Monica held her breath and drove as fast as she could up the hill toward the intersection, where a mother stood at the bus stop with her two young children. Dwayne wasn't experienced enough to shoot and drive at the same time. Dwayne knew that if Prince got away, he and C-Lok would make him suffer a horrible death. Prince and C-Lok would torture him before they'd just put a bullet in his head. Dwayne hit the back of Prince's car. Shots continued to fly his way. Dwayne swerved. A bullet hit his left shoulder, immediately followed by one to the neck. Dwayne immediately bled out. The car hit a curb and went airborne. It crashed into the bus stop instantly killing the innocent family where they stood.
Jayden did his best to protect his baby sister and girlfriend, who were screaming and crying. Brianna and Princess lay in the fetal position on the floor as Jayden covered them with his own body. He maintained his position until Prince said it was safe to move. Prince cautiously directed Monica to slow down and drive home. With his back window blown out and bullet holes on the driver side of the car, they would certainly call attention to themselves.
“Jay, stay down 'til I say it's cool. Monica, babe, are you good?” Prince was out of breath. He felt responsible for everyone in the car. He knew those bullets were meant for him and his loved ones unfortunately would've been considered casualties of war had they been hurt.

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