SAVAGE

10

Game boards were sprawled out everywhere. From the couch to the clean, grayish carpet. Jersey decided to hang out with her cousin before work. She wanted to spend some time with Rudy since it had been days since they talked face-to-face. Talking to him on the phone was cool, but she wanted to see her little cousin in person. Just to make sure he was really good.

"Here you go." Jersey pushed a plate towards Rudy and sat beside him on the couch. Rudy wasted no time grabbing the plate. He eyed the masterpiece Jersey had cooked. Since it was morning time, she made some pancakes, eggs, and sausage links.

"I need to buy some more groceries for you." Jersey suggested as she pushed her eggs around with a fork. "Because you're running out of everything."

Rudy took a bite out of his sausage and eyed Jersey's plate. She had only one sausage link with a small portion of eggs. He furrowed his eyebrows and studied her before saying anything.

"Why you eating like that? You on a diet or something?"

Jersey sighed before speaking. Lately, she had been eating like a bird. Her medication was taking her appetite.

"No, I'm not on a diet."

"Good because you're already skinny." Rudy commented. "But you're even skinnier since the last time I saw you. You stressed out or something?"

She narrowed her eyes at her cousin's remarks and said, "I am. Don't forget that I have a debt on me, and I have to work at that bar—indefinitely. All of this s**t is so stressful."

Rudy eyed her before speaking. "I'm sorry about that. I had no idea that this s**t would fall back on you."

"What's done is done. I've accepted it." Jersey replied back. "At the time, you didn't want help. Marcus had you in a trance."

"You right." Rudy concurred with a head nod. "I really looked up to him. When he first came in my life, I was happy. I didn't expect for him to turn on me like this. He promised to protect me and keep me safe."

Jersey noticed the sadden expression on her cousin's face. She wrapped her arm around his shoulders and pulled him into her embrace. She felt like he needed it. Rudy barely got love from his mom, so the feeling was a little awkward for him, but he went with it.

"Money is the root of all evil. Remember that." Jersey whispered to him. "That's why you should never put you trust into anyone but God."

Rudy never replied back. He just kept his head on Jersey's chest. She barely had breast to hold him up, but he didn't care. He wasn't worried about that.

"Preach is coming back." Jersey announced as a small smile tugged on her lips. She had been thinking about her brother lately. Jersey couldn't wait for his arrival. Just the thought of seeing her baby brother made her happy.

"Preach?" Rudy reiterated while sitting up. He looked at his cousin as if she was lying. "Stop playing."

"I'm serious. He sent me a letter saying he was coming back for college." Jersey replied with a bright smile.

"Aww, man." Rudy blurted out. He smirked while touching his chin. He really didn't know Preach like that, but he was hoping to get acquainted with his cousin. "That's good, really good."

"Yeah, I'm happy about it."' She replied with a smile. "I haven't seen him in so long."

"Where is he going to stay when he comes back?" Rudy questioned her.

Jersey thought about her brother's living arrangements. She figured he was staying at his dorm but then again, she didn't know what he was going to do.

"I'll see. He's probably going to live in one of the dorms at his college. If not, I'll figure something out. I'm going to write him and find out."

Rudy only nodded his head.

"This'll be great for you. You can hang with Preach. I know he's older than you but he's doing good for himself. He's in school and everything." Jersey informed him.

"I can't go anywhere until your boyfriend finds Marcus and Jamar."

Jersey narrowed her eyes at her cousin. He was always calling Malcolm her boyfriend. "He's working on it...just be patient. And stop calling him my boyfriend because he's definitely not that."

"Oh yeah?" Rudy quizzed her. "Then how come he's helping you? How come he's helping me—I stole from the nigga."

"That doesn't make him my boyfriend because he's helping us."

"Why do you have hickies on your neck?" Rudy badgered her without smiling.

Jersey just sat there speechless. Visions of her and Malcolm f*****g on Kelli's couch clouded her mind. Quickly, she shook those nasty thoughts away and gave her cousin a nonchalant look.

"Can we focus on getting you out of this house?"

Rudy stared at her for a minute. He realized how quickly she changed the subject and started shaking his head. Instead of pointing her out, he just decided to speak on himself. "I'mma be real with you. I'm growing impatient. I need to get out of here before I go crazy, yo."

_____________________________

"This case is taking longer than expected." Detective Newton fumed while flipping through his case notes. He tugged at the collar of shirt and said, "Dammit..."

Tilly was leaning against the table with her warm cup of coffee. She was dressed in her usual police uniform. Her long, brown hair was pulled into a ponytail.

"That Jamal kid won't talk...at all." Tilly added as she sipped her coffee. "How are we going to handle this?"

"I'm not sure..." Newton replied in an aggravated tone as he shook his head lightly.

Tilly stood there and watched as he rummaged through his folders. She noticed the name Sullivan on one of the folders. It was written with a black ink pen. She furrowed her eyebrows as she stood there in deep thought.

"Did you hear me?" Newton questioned her as he darted his eyes over at Tilly. Taking a quick glance at her thick frame.

She cleared her throat and said, "I'm sorry...I was—just thinking about something."

"Your mind should be on this case." He instructed her. "I want you to talk to Jamal and let him know that we are here for him. We're trying to help him."

"Why are you still holding on to Sullivan's case?" Tilly questioned him randomly.

Newton shook his head nonchalantly. "I'm not."

"But you are, Newton. I just saw the folder on your desk."

Newton clenched his jaws before shrugging his shoulders. "I'm close to getting him. I can feel it."

Tilly just shook her head. She didn't understand why Newton was on Malcolm's ass. Clearly, there was no evidence on the man, therefore he was innocent. Unfortunately, Newton had a different perspective.

"I got this girl who works at his bar watching him."

"Oh, you do?"

"Yeah, her name is Jersey or something like that. She's supposed to be reporting back every illegal thing he's doing."

"And how do you know she's going to report him to you? She could be f*****g with you." Tilly stated as she thought about Jersey. She didn't know the girl at all.

Newton narrowed his eyes and asked, "Whose side are you on?"

Before Tilly could reply back, the door opened. Chief Stanley stood there peeking in. He opened the door wider and took in the sight of everything. Including Newton and Tilly.

"Good morning, Chief." Tilly greeted warmly.

"Good morning, Officer Martinez." He greeted back. "Could you excuse us for a moment? I need to have a word with Detective Newton." Chief Stanley said to her with a neutral expression. She nodded her head and managed to walk out with her coffee in her hand.

Stanley closed the door behind Tilly and darted his eyes over at Newton.

"What's the problem, now?" Newton asked.

"You are the problem." The chief retorted back as he pointed his finger at him.

"Me? What did I do?"

"I specifically told you to stay away from that Sullivan's case. I just got word that you're still probing people for information—"

"That kid is fooling you." Newton interrupted. "He's not clean. Malcolm is selling drugs right from his bar. I know he—"

"Stay away from the Sullivan's case." Stanley commanded with a stern voice. His forehead was wrinkled from being so stressed out. "If I catch you sniffing around it again, I'll have no choice but to suspend you and report you to the board. Do you understand me?"

Newton just stood there stubbornly with a frown on his face. Chief Stanley walked closer towards him and matched the same facial expression he wore.

"I said, do you understand me?"

"Yes sir." Newton replied with a slight head nod. His jaw was clenched in irritation. He didn't want Malcolm to win. He couldn't let him win. He wanted to catch the young man and have him prosecuted for his illegal acts.

Detective Newton could vision himself right now. Being surrounded by the press with both the mayor and the chief by his side. He could even see his face printed all over the newspapers for his bravery acts.

_____________________________

Malcolm had a business. His bar—of course. He also had a side business. His side business wasn't exactly legal since he was over drugs. It wasn't something he liked doing since he knew it was poisoning his community, but he had to make his money. The bar had great profits, but Malcolm was addicted to the drug money. He liked being at risk; the fast life was meant for him. It kept his adrenaline pumping.

He had a team that he organized to be over his side business. The team wasn't too big, and he tried to keep it from getting any bigger. He didn't want too many people knowing his business.

Malcolm decided to meet up with his team and explain the new plan. He informed them about Nieko and the few guys who they would be sharing turfs with.

"Wait a minute, what? Why are we sharing with them niggas?" One of the guys asked with his face scrunched up. He didn't want to share with Nieko's crew at all.

"Because this is all in my plan. We get close to Nieko and his people and then we take them out. The right way. I don't want to get dirty. I can't afford to." Malcolm replied back to his worker, Sawyer.

"Well I'm in. I don't care." Ricardo spoke up whole shrugging his shoulders. "I just don't want my money to be f****d with."

"Your money won't be touched, Rico." Malcolm assured him. He looked over at Sawyer and noticed that he still wore a frown on his face.

"So, what's up Sawyer? You in?" Malcolm questioned him sternly while folding his arms.

Sawyer never spoke. He just eyed Malcolm as if he was diseased. Malcolm could tell that the young boy wasn't feeling the arrangements, but it was nothing he could do about it.

"You have two choices." Malcolm spoke while holding up two of his fingers. "Walk out of here or stop complaining and do what you got to do. You better choose wisely—especially if you want to walk out."

Micah was standing beside Malcolm taking everything in. He managed to c**k his gun after Malcolm finished his sentence. He looked over at Sawyer with a glare. Letting him know that he wouldn't hesitate to fill him with bullets.

"I don't like this s**t but I'm in." Sawyer spoke up.

"We don't have to f**k with them." Ricardo explained to Sawyer. "Let's just focus on getting the bag."

"Exactly. That's all you have to do." Malcolm concurred. He didn't trust his team at all. He knew that they could turn on him in a heartbeat. Fortunately, Malcolm wasn't worried about it. He had eyes on the streets.

After the meeting was over, everybody left. Malcolm, Ryder, and Micah were on their way to grab some food. It was around the evening time and they were famished.

"Damn, girl." Micah cursed as he watched some woman. He managed to hold the door open for her. She glanced at him and shyly turned away. He watched as she walked down the sidewalk with bags in her hand.

"Oh, so it's like that? Well f**k you then!" Micah bellowed as he continued to watch the woman. She was short and stacked. He wanted to f**k with her, but he assumed she was stuck up—which wasn't the case; She was just shy.

"This nigga." Ryder spoke with a chuckle. "Get your ass in the store. Leave that girl alone—she probably got a man."

"That's not my problem." Micah replied as he walked inside the restaurant with Malcolm and Ryder. As usual, people stared at them, but they didn't pay it any mind. They were more concerned with their stomachs.

After ordering their food, they grabbed a couple of seats and waited. Ryder looked out the window and noticed some guy who looked familiar. He narrowed his eyes as he sat there in deep thought.  

"You hear me talking to you?" Micah questioned Ryder, interrupting his train of thought.

"Y-yeah, man." Ryder stammered as he frowned. "Say, Malcolm. Remember that dude that was at the club? The one who tried to f**k with Jersey?"

Malcolm quickly looked over once Ryder mentioned Jersey's name. He had been thinking about her a lot after being intimate with her.

"Yeah, what about him?"

"There he goes right there." Ryder pointed out.

Malcolm didn't see his friend's point. He didn't care about Jersey's ex at all.

"I remember her now...it's all coming to me." Ryder continued with a scoff. "Jersey used to buy drugs from Eric—before he died."

Malcolm furrowed his eyebrows in suspense. Eric was just some nigga who used to work for him. He was killed in a bad motorcycle accident, a couple of years ago.

"What you mean she used to buy drugs from Eric?" Malcolm questioned his friend in a low voice.

"Exactly how it sounds man. Jersey was on drugs—hard drugs. I remember when I was kicking it with Eric. She came over to buy crack from him." Ryder explained.

"I knew that b***h looked familiar." Micah stated while shaking his head. "She cut her hair off so people wouldn't recognize her."

Malcolm just sat there shocked. He didn't want to believe Ryder, but he knew that his boy wouldn't just make up lies. What f****d him up the most is that he didn't catch on to her. He couldn't point out her old drug abuse. Usually, he could since he sold drugs and knew how an old drug abuser acted and looked. Jersey, on the other hand, was different. Her going to the mental health was questioning but he never expected her to be a drug addict.

"You alright man?" Ryder asked Malcolm. He noticed the complex look on his boy's face. Malcolm didn't look sad at all, in fact, he looked as if he was ready to flip the table.

Micah studied him as well and dropped his mouth. "Oh, hell nah. I know that look, I know that f*****g look." He reclined his head and looked over at Malcolm, "You f****d that broad, didn't you?"

Malcolm just darted his eyes over at Micah.

_____________________________

"This is cute." The fair-skinned woman commented as she looked through Kelli's stash. Clothes, belts, glasses, shoes, and purses were sprawled all over the couch and tables. Most of them had trendy labels attached. Valentino. Versace. Burberry. Coach. Herschel. Fendi. Cartier. Chanel. Etcetera. 

Jersey sat on the couch trying to eat her lunch.

Kelli stood beside her couch watching her customer attentively. She was growing irritated since the girl was lumbering around and picking up items with her lips all poked out.

"You see something you like or what? Because I have to get ready for work." Kelli questioned her. 

"I don't see any Gucci shades." The girl announced.

"That's because there is no Gucci, Tonya." Kelli replied back.

Tonya blew out some air and said, "Alright then. Throw me them coach shades and that Burberry scarf."

Jersey sat there and watched as Tonya paid for her things, collected them, and walked out the door. She shook her head and watched as Kelli pushed her items into a pile on the couch.

"I'm tired of doing this shit." Kelli ranted.

"I told you to leave the boosting to Vena. You should just stick to doing hair."

Kelli glanced over at her friend and did a double take. Jersey noticed her suspense look and decided to speak up.

"What?"

Kelli never replied verbally, she just shook her head.

"I'm just saying. You shouldn't boost Kelli; you have real talent. This is Vena's dream job right here. She knows how to talk to people and negotiate." Jersey continued.

"I had three condoms in my drawer." Kelli announced out of the blue. "Now there's just two lonely condoms."

Jersey didn't say anything right off. She just thought about the night she swiped one of Kelli's condoms. Just the visual image of Malcolm sliding the condom on his thick, brown d**k made her c**t jump.

"You had three condoms, now you have two. Okay... Why are you telling me this?"

Kelli leaned her head to the side and said, "Don't play with me Jay. Did you take my condom? I mean—the last time I had s*x was four days ago and I remember leaving three in that Magnum box."

Jersey shook her head and said, "I didn't take your condom."

"b***h you're lying." Kelli replied with a smirk. "You don't think I can tell when you're lying? You can't even look me in the eyes."

Jersey started laughing as she tumbled over the pillow. She covered her face in embarrassment. She knew how attentive her friend was about her things, but Jersey was horny and stuck in the moment. She had the opportunity to have s*x, so she took it.

"With your lying ass." Kelli commented with a chuckle. "You even got hickies too. I've been looking at them for the past two days. I didn't want to say anything because I wasn't sure but now, I know."

Jersey never replied back. She just touched her neck as she wore an I'm caught expression.

Kelli neared her and took a seat. She wanted all the details on who Jersey was smashing. It had been a long time since Jersey had s*x, so she was going to be nosy.

"So, who was it? Was it good? Was the d**k big or not?"

"You want to know way too much." Jersey replied back.

"Oh c'mon, we tell each other everything. You know I'm not gonna go behind you girl. I told you about Ryder and I, remember? I said the d**k was splendid and it was big—like an arm."

Jersey furrowed her eyebrows and said, "I'm not telling you."

"Please..." Kelli begged.

Jersey shook her head no. She didn't want to tell her friend about Malcolm at all. She didn't know how she would take the news of her sleeping with him.

"Jersey."

"I said no so just drop it. Just know that your girl got herself some dick." Jersey replied back. "And I'm satisfied."

Kelli sat there with her mouth gaped. She watched as her friend got up and made her way towards the back.

_____________________________

The weekend flew by and Jersey was a little upset about it. She had weekends off, so she spent most of her time in bed. She was busy walking to Malcolm's Bar when her phone started ringing. She pulled her phone out of her bag and answered it.

"Jersey?" Rudy said into the phone.

She looked around before speaking. "What's up?"

"What the f**k is going on?" He asked in a hurried question. "I'm sick of being locked up in this house! I want out!"

"Look, you're going to be free soon. Okay? Just please—stay there until everything is clear. They're hiding and he-he's trying to find them."

Rudy never responded back. He just ended the call. Jersey looked down at her android phone and silently cursed under her breath. She tried calling him back, but he never answered.

It was hard trying to get Rudy to stay in the house. Malcolm didn't want him out on the streets yet. His prevention was causing Rudy to bicker towards his cousin. Believe it or not, Jersey the s**t was starting to get stressful.

While walking, she accidentally bumped into someone. Her phone and bag landed right in the concrete.

WHOOSH!

"Yo, watch where you're going—oh it's you."

"I'm sorry." Jersey apologize while bending down to grab her phone. It was now cracked to the bottom. She cursed and started picking up the items that fell out of her bag. The man bent down and started helping her. She looked him in the eyes and noticed that he was the man who owned the barbershop that was next to Malcolm's bar.

Jersey realized how handsome he was. He had the darkest skin she'd ever seen. It was beautiful, smooth, and magical looking. He wore his hair kind of low, but she did notice his beautiful, curly texture.

"No need to be." He replied back. "We keep bumping into each other. It must mean something, right?"

"It might." She replied back coolly.

He placed her headphones in her hand, and she stuffed them in her bag.

"I'm Butch." He greeted her.

Jersey looked up from her bag and eyed him for a minute. "Jersey."

"Jersey? Like New Jersey."

She smirked and said, "Yeah... It's spelled like New Jersey."

"Where you headed to?" Butch asked as he looked around. The sidewalks weren't too busy. People walked here and there but it wasn't a whole lot of foot traffic.

"Work. I—uh...work around here. At the bar." She struggled to tell him.

Butch's eyes darted towards Malcolm's Bar. He knew that it was the only drinking place on the block. He scoffed while looking over at Jersey with a cautious look. He remembered seeing her for the first time, she had flown out of the bar and bumped right into him.

"You work at Malcolm's Bar?"

Jersey just nodded her head.

"By choice?" Butch asked nosily.

Jersey made sure to plaster a fake expression on her face before answering. "Yeah, it's by choice. Why?"

"I'm just asking." Butch replied back. "You looked frightened the last time I saw you leaving out of there."

Jersey furrowed her eyebrows and said, "I've been working at that bar for almost two months now. You should have known."

Butch never replied back. He just studied her cautiously and Jersey knew exactly what he was doing.

"I uh—need to be going—bye." She gripped her bag and walked away from him.

Jersey rushed across the street and made her way into the bar. It wasn't technically open yet since it was still early. The employees were in the front trying to get everything in order. When Jersey walked in, their eyes went on her.

Dean. Sarai.

She tried her best to ignore them as she made her way to the back. She placed her things in her locker and reached for her apron when she heard a door open. Jersey looked over her shoulder and noticed Malcolm walking in. He closed and locked the door behind him. Jersey furrowed her eyebrows in suspense as she examined him carefully. He neared her with an angry expression written all over his face.

I know he's not about to chew me out over us having s*x. He touched and kissed me first. Jersey said to herself.

"What's wrong?" Jersey asked him.

"Who are you?" Malcolm questioned her back.

"What?"

"You heard what the f**k I said. I'm not repeating myself."

She just stood there with a confused look. Jersey didn't know what was happening before her.

"I mean—I f****d you and I don't even know who you really are!" Malcolm blurted out with a raised voice.

"You never asked me anything about myself..." Jersey replied softly. "And besides, you're Malcolm. You know everything."

"I don't know everything." He stated honestly. "But I can get information if I want it." Malcolm replied, correcting her. "And right now, I need some information from you." He continued. "Are you on drugs?"

Jersey wasn't surprised by the question. She knew that he would ask it eventually. Micah knew about her past, so she figured he had told Malcolm.

"I used to be." Jersey admitted honestly. "But not anymore."

"I wished I had known that before I f****d you." Malcolm stated as he furrowed his eyebrows. He had a tight frown on his face from being told the honest truth.

Jersey looked over at him with an unreadable expression. He had hurt her feelings, but she wasn't going to let him see her cry.

"I made a mistake that I wish I could take back. I didn't tell you because I didn't know how. It's not something I just tell people."

Malcolm scoffed at her and said, what were you doing? Heroin? Crack? Meth? Tell me the truth because I was told crack."

"Who's telling you all my business?" She questioned him.

"You don't need to worry about who told me. But I do know the truth now. So, answer me, is crack all you did or what?"

"Why do you need to know all of that?" Jersey asked him as she tried to look him in his eyes.

"Because I don't want people knowing I f****d a drug addict." Malcolm conceded.

"What?" Jersey quavered. Her eyes began to water but she stopped herself from crying. She had to pull herself together because she knew what kind of man she was messing with. Malcolm. A total asshole. He didn't bite his tongue.

"You heard what I said."

"But that's not me anymore. I changed." She tried reasoning with him.

"You think I believe you?" Malcolm snarled.

"f**k you." Jersey cursed as she tried to push past him. He grabbed her by her shirt and pushed her into the lockers.

Malcolm didn't say anything right off. He just held her shirt tightly in his hands as he eyed her cautiously. Jersey's lips quivered as different thoughts ran throughout her mind. A tear cascaded down her face—she wasn't expecting for it to happen, but it did. She turned her face towards the wall and closed her eyes to keep her tears inside. When she felt her tears stopping, she turned to look at him.

"Let me go. I'm just gonna leave—"

"You're not gonna leave." Malcolm broke in. "You're gonna get your ass out there and work. You have a debt to pay off, remember?"

She only frowned at him. He moved his hands away from her shirt and fixed his own as he shot her a look.

"Get to work."

_____________________________

Life. Life was a joke to Jersey. She felt like everything around her was always going wrong. In her mind, she was a bad spell. A human with a negative impact. She could imagine herself touching flowers and turning them brown; Jersey was stuck in a cycle and she didn't know how to fix it. Praying could work but she didn't know how. She didn't know nothing about God. Yes, screamed his name in vain but she was clueless to his word and she didn't know how to pray or talk to him.

The bar was closing soon but that didn't stop the alcoholics from coming in. Jersey was busy waiting tables. She sported a solemn expression on her face as she greeted her customers and turned their order in. Her whole day had been f****d up, thanks to Malcolm.

Not only did he force her to stay but she also had to suffer from his petty behavior. He made sure to work her hard, mean mug her, and talk to her smartly. Jersey was doing good by keeping her composure, but the girl was ready to go off; She was glad that he left two hours ago.

A policewoman walked inside the bar with her uniform on. Jersey noticed her presence and couldn't help but to stare. She was gorgeous with a fierce look. She walked inside the bar with her uniform fitting her body nicely. She had her black hair in a low bun, and she chewed gum. The policewoman took a seat in one of the empty booths and pulled her phone out.

Jersey waited a while before walking over, she was hoping Sarai would get to her. Jersey tried to occupy herself by cleaning the glasses. Dean walked over and nudged her. They talked but they had neutral conversations. Dean knew that his chances with Jersey was over. Yes, he still liked her, but he was going to take his time with her.

"You better get over there and offer that pig a drink. I got the glasses."

Jersey laughed lightly and softly elbowed Dean. "That's so mean."

"I'm just calling her as I see her." He replied while darting his eyes back over at the policewoman. 

Jersey walked over and patted her apron pocket for her notepad and pen.

I hope she's off duty. She said to herself as she made a complete stop.

"What can I get you?" Jersey asked, keeping it simple.

"Uh..." The policewoman trailed off as she looked over at Jersey. She studied the girl until her eyes landed on the left side of her apron.

Jersey was written on the left side of her apron.

"What do you recommend? I need something strong."

"The bartender—Dean, can make a great Whiskey Smash."

The policewoman poked her lip out and asked, "Is it any good?"

"The best, actually." Jersey ensured her.

"Well, I'll take your word, Jersey."

Jersey looked down at the officer's name tag and noticed that it said T. Martinez. "No problem, officer Martinez."

"I'm off duty as of right now, so you can call me Tilly."

Jersey nodded her head awkwardly and walked off. She wasn't too fond of officers at all. They were all the same in her opinion. Some were cool but they weren't to be trusted. Police officers were capable of doing anything. For example, Police—Detective Newton.

Malcolm walked inside the bar. The employees weren't surprised by his pop up. He was always showing his face at the end of their shifts. Malcolm made sure everything was right and in place. The employees had to restock the disposables, store the perishables, clean everything, and count the money that was made for the evening.

He narrowed his hooded eyes when he noticed Tilly sitting down in one of the booths. She was busy scrolling through her phone, so she didn't realize he was watching her. Malcolm wanted to know why she was at his establishment. He was cool with her, but he didn't want her hanging around his business. He pulled out his iPhone and sent her a quick text.

What are you doing here? Malcolm

Tilly noticed his message and popped her head up. She looked up and gave him a casual smirk. Malcolm didn't bother to return it since he didn't smile that much. He just made his way towards the bar. She looked at her phone and sent him a text back.

Having a drink. I'm not here for you, so don't get upset. Tilly

Malcolm read the text and scoffed. He watched as Jersey picked up the freshly made drink. It appeared to be a whiskey smash. He eyed the short, old-fashion glass. It held a yellow beverage with a lemon at the bottom and a piece of mint leaf on the rim of the glass. Malcolm wanted to drink it, but he decided against it.

He glanced over at Jersey who was completely ignoring him. Fortunately, Malcolm didn't care about her little snub. He felt like he was the one who should be upset. In Malcolm's opinion, he was tricked and bamboozled by Jersey. He felt like she was hiding her drug addiction on purpose. If she had told him about it earlier, he wouldn't be interested in sleeping with her and she knew it. That's exactly how he felt.

"Malcolm, come here." Dock spoke up, catching his attention. He stood there by the back door with a stern look on his face. Still, he and Malcolm weren't really seeing eye to eye after the situation about Jersey and Morgan.

Malcolm made his way towards the back and followed Dock in his office. He closed the door behind him and watched as his uncle paced the floor.

"What is that pig doing out there?" Dock questioned his nephew. He was acting paranoid, which was normal since Dock hated the law. He was involved in illegal acts, so seeing a police officer in the bar had him on pins and needles.

"She's only here for a drink."

Dock chuckled while running his hand over his curly hair. "That's the police you're f*****g, right? She has no business in here—at all."

"I know man but I—"

"I taught you everything you know. Don't f**k everything up over some p***y, Malcolm. Get that b***h out of here—now." He demanded while walking closer towards him. "Let her know that she crossed her boundaries. She better not show her f*****g face around here again."

Malcolm stood there observing his uncle's furious expression. He knew that he wasn't playing, at all. He cleared his throat and walked out. When Malcolm made it to the front, he noticed that Tilly was gone. Jersey was near the area she was sitting in. She was busy cleaning the table while managing to hold the glass that Tilly had.

Jersey's eyes darted towards Malcolm who stood there staring at her. She couldn't help but to notice how fine the man was. He stood there dressed in his usual, casual wear—a Nike jogger suit. As usual, he kept a chain around his neck and his footwear was always up to date.

He caught her staring back and gave her the meanest look ever. She pulled away from his gaze and placed her focus on the tables.

"Y'all should be finishing up. Sarai make sure you restock these napkin dispensers. I want them filled before you leave." Malcolm ordered as he walked towards the back.

Jersey wrinkled her nose as she watched him disappeared from the front.

I can't stand his ass. She said under her breath.

_____________________________

The sound of glass crunching underneath Rudy's feet made him anxious. He was trying to be quiet as possible, but the raggedy road wasn't allowing him to do that. He rubbed his hands together as he shivered through the cold, night air. He walked past a couple of buildings with his head down. Not a soul was outside since it was around four in the morning.

Rudy stopped dead in his tracks and looked over the tall building that stood before him. He stuffed his hands in his pockets and made a go for it. The sounds of dogs barking caused him to dart his eyes over his shoulder.

Instead of making a scene, Rudy just pushed his hat down and went straight inside the building. The smell of piss and garbage made him sick to his stomach. He looked around the messy lobby and noticed how horrible it looked. There was no lobby doorman in sight. A bulletin board was posted on the wall and filled with all kinds of colorful paper. Instead of examining them, Rudy took the stairs.

He felt cool air and stood there in suspense. He knew it had to be coming from outside. Rudy had closed the door but somehow, it was open.

Out of suspense, he turned around and noticed some man standing in the lobby. He pulled his hoodie off his head to reveal his face. Rudy's eyes bugged when he noticed the familiar face.

"Where the f**k have you been?" The guy questioned him as he stood there with a menace expression on his face. "Nieko has been looking for you."

"W-Why is he looking for me?" Rudy questioned him as terror overtook his face. He stood there unnoticeably shaking while trying to control his breathing.

"Marcus and Jamar are missing." The man answered, shocking Rudy. Jersey didn't tell him about Malcolm's successful capture.

"They were working on a plan that required you and your cousin. Now all of a sudden, they just disappeared. I want to know what happened to them."

"Come on, Deshawn man. I don't have s**t to do with them disappearing." Rudy informed him. "I don't know where they're at. They probably just left Brooklyn—Marcus owes Nieko money!"

Deshawn quickly pulled out his gun and aimed it at Rudy. Fortunately, he was able to duck as soon as the bullet went flying.

Pow!

Rudy turned around and went straight for the stairs. It didn't take Deshawn long to run behind him. He managed to aim his gun again and pull the trigger. He caught Rudy in the leg but that didn't stop him from running up the stairs.

"Arghh!" Rudy groaned as he clenched his teeth together. He was trying to keep the pain from taking over his leg. He just had to make it to the top.

The residents in the building were shook and worried about the shooting. They wasted no time calling the police up. This was the norm for them, so they knew what to do and when to do it.

Both men ran up and around the stairs as if they were in a maze. Rudy grew nauseous and dizzy as he tried to stay alert. He was losing a lot of blood and moving around too much. As soon as he rounded the corner, he dropped and hit the stairs.

His eyesight was all blurry and fuzzy as he started coughing. When he blinked twice, he noticed Deshawn prowling up the stairs. Step by step. His dreads swung in his face freely as he kept his hands in his pockets.

"Come on man, don't shoot me." Rudy shivered. His breathing was way off, and Deshawn could tell that the young boy was in a lot of pain. "I-I don't know where they're at. I don't know. I don't know. I promise you, I don't."

Deshawn just stood there nonchalantly. He had no feelings and he definitely didn't give a f**k about Rudy's pleas. In fact, he was upset about the situation. He just knew that Rudy was going to give him some kind of information on Marcus and Jamar.

"I don't believe they just ran off. Marcus does owe Nieko money, but he wouldn't leave Brooklyn because he knows that we'll find him—eventually. You what I think? I think you know where he's at."

"I don't." Rudy retorted back. "Now leave me the f**k alone man."

Deshawn eyed him closely and said, "I can't do that." He reached inside his pocket and pulled his gun out. Rudy tried moving his body, but he failed to go anywhere. "This is for Nieko."

"Wait, I—"

Pow! Pow! Pow!

Rudy's body shook from being riddled with bullets. He laid there with his eyes open as blood seeped through his mouth. Both of his hands were clenched into fists as he tried to hold on, but he couldn't. Eventually, his chest stopped heaving and his groans seized. 

Deshawn looked him over and quickly rummaged through the kid's pockets until he stumbled up on a phone. He furrowed his eyebrows but decided to take it anyway. Quickly, he headed down the stairs. Deshawn wasted no time tucking his gun away and leaving out the building.