A Woman’s Work: Street Chronicles (16 page)

“Let’s go, baby. Shy and I are going to take care of you,” Aisha said as she and Shy helped Kayla to her feet. Shy drove and Aisha sat in the backseat with Kayla, holding her while she cried. Aisha leaned her head back and asked herself,
What’s going on? It seems like C-Lok’s team is under fire. What could possibly happen next?

Only time would tell, but when the answer came, no one on C-Lok’s team would be prepared.

K
ayla dedicated great time and detail to putting her brother away beautifully. She didn’t dress him up in a button-down shirt,
suit, and tie. That wasn’t Devin’s style when he was alive, and she refused to change it now that he was dead. She went out and bought her brother the latest Rocawear attire. Devin was draped in Rocawear from head to toe, even to his underwear. The day Kayla went to view the body, she sprayed the newest Rocawear cologne on her brother. She demanded that the funeral home not shave her brother or cut his hair. She had one of his employees at his barbershop take care of grooming Devin. He was buried wearing the white-gold ring, watch, and matching bracelets he never left home without. Kayla slid in a wallet-size photo of herself with her brother, taken when they were much younger. A four-year-old Kayla sat on the shoulders of her fourteen-year-old big brother. She had the biggest smile on her face. Devin was larger than life in her young eyes. She loved her big brother more than anything.

It was Devin’s love for his baby sister that got him an extended bid behind bars for attempted robbery. He’d been trying to get money to take care of her after their mother turned to drugs. After Kayla began hustling and making money, she took care of Devin while he was in prison. When he came home, she set him up with a place to live, a business to run, a full wardrobe to flaunt, and every essential he’d need to live. Like any other set of siblings, they had their differences, but they always had each other’s backs. Nothing but death could keep them apart.

$ $ $

A few weeks had passed since the deaths of C-Lok’s three street soldiers and Devin. Prince had a bad feeling about the entire situation. It was no coincidence that people affiliated with C-Lok were falling down. Prince’s gut was telling him that whatever was going on was directly related to Mama Bev’s death. He watched his every step, thinking hard before making any moves. He knew his uncle could take care of himself. But he was worried about himself, his brother, his sister, and his mother.

When C-Lok ordered everyone to his house, Prince was certain it was to discuss the deaths of their workers. Killing street soldiers was bad enough, but reaching out and touching a general like Devin was clear disrespect.

C-Lok was sitting with Big Black and Prince when Aisha and Kayla arrived.

“Something ain’t right out dere in dem streets,” Prince said, shaking his head.

“It’s almost as if there’s a hit out on our team. It wasn’t a big deal when the little homies started getting knocked off, but three in just as many weeks?” Big Black said.

“Killing Devin is a high jump on the food chain,” C-Lok responded.

“The problem with that is that Devin was out of the game,” Kayla said. “He retired a couple of years ago and was legit with the barbershop. I’m sure this bullshit didn’t have anything to do with my brother. He was back in the game for only one reason—the same reason I came out of retirement: Aisha revenging Mama Bev’s death. Y’all need to get this shit right before we all get laid down,” Kayla demanded, a frown on her face and anger in her heart.

“You sound like all this is because of me.” Aisha was offended by the insinuation.

“Those boys had families too. They had people who loved them the way we loved Mama Bev. Let me make this clear to everybody involved so there are no misunderstandings on where the fuck I stand.” Kayla stood up and spoke with an authoritative tone. “No one is untouchable. I survived over twenty damn years on these streets trying to make a living and eat. I made it, and I made sure that not one of my family went hungry. We getting older, and we all know this shit don’t have a retirement plan. I went legit and got used to living the life of a business owner. I stepped back in to complete one task, and my brother did the
same because I asked him to. My sacrifice is too great for a battle that wasn’t part of my war. I’m telling each one of you, the aftermath of this shit better get handled.”

“So this is my fault? Is the boss wagging her finger in my face?” Aisha asked, offended.

“If that’s the way you want to take it, Aisha, that shit is on you.”

“I don’t remember putting a gun to your head and dragging you along for the ride. Kayla never does anything if she ain’t benefiting from it,” Aisha spat.

“How did I benefit from getting my hands dirty behind your ass? Was having to bury my brother my big payoff?” Kayla yelled with one hand on a hip.

“So was I supposed to let those niggas ride after what they did to Mommy?” Aisha asked in confusion.

“No, they weren’t supposed to get a free ride on that foul shit, and they were going to get handled. You wanted to be in the game. You wanted to make a name for yourself on these streets, right, Dream? You ran up into a world that you have no business being in. We all backed you. Everybody in this room did what was done for and because of you! And do us a favor, Aisha. Stop pretending like it was all to avenge your mother’s death. This shit was all about your selfish ass.” Kayla pointed her index finger in Aisha’s face. “So what are you going to do to fix this shit? Tell me, Dream, what the fuck are you going to do?”

Aisha couldn’t believe the things her sister was saying to her. In the life span of their friendship, Kayla, Aisha, and Terry had never fought like enemies. There were always disagreements between them but they were always able to talk out their issues. Aisha felt like Kayla had jammed a hand deep inside her chest and jabbed at her heart with each nasty word. “You’re throwing one of your famous tantrums just because you not in control? Fuck you, Kayla!” That was all Aisha could come back with. Kayla’s delivery may have been harsh, but her words were true and Aisha knew it.

“Bitch,
you
ain’t in control,” Kayla spat out. “C-Lok handles everything that goes on in his team. No players can move without his permission. He put a bounty on those boys’ heads. He already had a plan in place to stop them from breathing weeks before you begged to take part. That nigga is always in control. Dream, you should know who the true boss is. Mama Bev is gone from your life forever. My brother is gone from my life forever. There are six mothers out there grieving and hurting for the loss of their sons, three on our team and three on the other team. And for what? So the bitch who killed Devin can be caught and face street justice? The cycle will never end. That’s why I walked away from it all. Those are the things I tried to protect you and Terry from all those years I put in work,” Kayla cried. “So fuck me? Fuck me, Aisha? Bitch, fuck you back, how about that?”

Kayla was blind with rage as she lunged forward, grabbing Aisha around the neck with her right hand and punching her with the left. Aisha was caught totally off guard. She grabbed the arm around her neck, trying in vain to free herself from the death grip her sister had her in. Before the men could react, Kayla had slammed Aisha to the floor and repeatedly punched her in the face.

It took C-Lok, Big Black, and Prince to pull Kayla off Aisha, who lay in a coughing and choking fit. Kayla’s fingerprints were visible on her skin, and the beginnings of a black eye had formed. And even worse than the physical pain was the emotional hurt. Aisha was dumbfounded. She couldn’t wrap her head around what had just taken place. She and Kayla had never physically fought each other. Her feelings were hurt and her ego was bruised. More important, their friendship was in disrepair. There was no going back from what had happened.

Aisha was stuck. Everything Kayla had said was right. No argument can be had when one person had all the facts right. Aisha began to cry once her breathing found a steady pace. The pain of
losing her mother had eased with each new day. The pain of losing her sister had now taken its place. She thought to herself,
I hurt today. Not as much as I did yesterday and less than I will tomorrow. Kayla’s pain is fresh. She attacked me like I was some bitch on the streets. She needs me to be there for her the way she was for me
.

“Both of y’all calm the fuck down,” C-Lok growled. “Fighting each other ain’t right! What da fuck, man? This blaming each other ain’t solving a damn thing. You know the shit coming out of y’all’s mouths is foul as hell.” Like every other man, C-Lok and Big Black knew not to get between two women in a heated argument, but they had to intervene when the sisters started calling each other bitches and things turned physical.

“This is not what I wanted or expected!” Aisha cried.

“I’m sorry to disrespect your house like that, C. Please forgive me,” Kayla said. “As for right now, between me and her, keep her away from me. After all I’ve done for her, she got the nerve to say ‘fuck you’ to my face? She got me fucked up. I don’t know what’s going to happen between Kayla and Aisha but Bossy and Dream are enemies.”

“What the hell is happening to our family? This shit ain’t right,” Big Black fumed.

“Kayla is right,” Prince said. “I don’t know what to do with this shit here. I never thought about the aftermath. I mean, those boys are dead and missing. Who would avenge their deaths? Nobody but us knows what happened to them.”

“Aisha, let me clear something up for you,” C-Lok said. “Once Dream stepped on the scene and got not one but three bodies under her belt in a day, she will forever be in the game. Whether she’s active or not is up to Dream. What we do know at this point is that our team’s being disrespected. Our people are being hunted down on the streets. Somebody’s calling us out. We have to figure out how to answer the call.” He remained standing beside the armchair where he had made Kayla sit.

Prince was running through a list of his enemies and his so-called friends when an overlooked detail came to his mind. “Unc, dem niggas you sent to clean that shit up,” Prince said with urgency.

“What about them?” C-Lok asked.

“Besides the people here right now, they the only ones with dirty hands,” Prince replied.

“He right, man!” Big Black said through clenched teeth. “Those niggas are the only common denominator. We need to have an intimate discussion with them. We need to have it
now
!”

After the family had left the old steel mill that day, C-Lok had paid three of his most trusted workers to clean the scene. They’d received orders to remove everything used as torture tools. As far as the bodies were concerned, they could’ve rotted right where they lay, but Big Black had suggested differently. The hired help had received specific instructions to dispose of the bodies without a trace.

“I’m going to set that shit up as soon as possible,” C-Lok said. “Until then, Kayla, I want you and Aisha staying together. It don’t matter whose house the two of you chill at, but Big Black is going with you. He’ll keep you safe until we can get this matter resolved. I’d lay down my own life before I’d let something happen to one of y’all.”

Aisha and Kayla gave C-Lok a look of total disbelief. They both knew it was an argument they might not win, but Kayla was sure to veto his decision.

“C, baby, I just told you to keep her away from me and not five minutes later you’re trying to force us to live together? Have you lost your mind?”

“Baby, your safety is—” C-Lok was interrupted midsentence by Kayla’s raised hand.

“That did not require an answer. You just told me what to do. Now let me tell you what I’m
going
to do. I will stay here, in this
house, with you. It’s a man’s job to protect his woman anyway. I’m going upstairs to take a shower. Have the house cleared by the time the water stops running. I’ve had just about enough of family to last me a fuckin’ lifetime.”

C-Lok watched Kayla disappear.

“Look, Unc, I’m up and out. We’ll take care of this tomorrow, first thing,” Prince promised. “Look for my call. One love.” Prince went out the back door on a mission to find the cleanup crew.

“You call me if you need me, girl,” C-Lok said to Aisha.

“I will, but Big Black always takes good care of me. Promise me you’ll take care of yourself and Kayla. It’ll take some time and effort but we’ll come back from this. I love her and I know she loves me. Kayla is just, well, Kayla.” Aisha spoke low so only C-Lok heard her.

“Promise,” C-Lok replied.

C-Lok set the alarm and went in search of Kayla. He walked up behind her and whispered something in her ear to make her smile.

“I don’t care who knows anymore. We’re too old to be hiding our relationship anyway. It’s about time the world knew that I have a man who loves me from my toenails to my hair follicles.”

She turned to face her man and put her arms around his neck. He met her lips with a wet and passionate kiss. Then he unwrapped the towel covering her wet body and said, “Let your man take care of you now.”

T
he following day, C-Lok was determined to squeeze the identity of the killer from the belly of the street. Another of his soldiers had
been knocked out and died after three days on a life-support machine. His death made headlines. The city’s murder rate was steadily climbing, and the mayor wanted control of his streets back. As a result, the police were harassing all black males.

Monk, Cuddy, and Red sat across from C-Lok as nervous as a teenage boy caught with his pants down by the drill-sergeant father of his first girlfriend. The boss had a multitude of questions, and he expected the right answers.

“How did you get rid of the drills, hammers, and shit?” C-Lok barked.

“We buried that shit in an old mining shaft somewhere in Pennsylvania,” Monk said with complete honesty.