Hakeem & Tasia : A Brick City Love Story Read online

  “I made it home safely, thank you.”

  “Aight, well I’ve got some shit to do but I’ll see you around. You coming to Jodie’s party at Rivals on Friday?”

  “I don’t know. You know that club scene is not really my thing.”

  “It’s a private party, Tay. You can chill with us in VIP.”

  “I don’t know Hakeem, your women might not like that too much.”

  He laughed. “I don’t have women, I have friends; and trust me when I say I do what I want and everybody knows that, so you can chill with us in VIP without a doubt.”

  “I hear you, boss.”

  “Don’t do that shit, Tay. I’m serious. Just come. I got you.”

  “You’re forever saying that, but I’ll let you know.”

  “I stay saying that because it’s true, but I’ve gotta go so make sure you come, okay?”

  “We’ll see.”

  “Night Tay.”

  “Night Keem.”

  “Ah shit, you called my Keem. I must be breaking your stubborn ass down,” Hakeem said, and then laughed.

  “Whatever Hakeem. Bye.”

  I ended the call and laid my phone on my chest. I couldn't help but smile. Damn, I wanted him something serious. I just didn’t think that it would ever happen.

  “What are you in here grinning about?” Brit walked in my room and flopped down on my bed.

  “Nothing, you going somewhere?” I noticed that Brit had changed out of her yoga pants and tank top into a pair of skinny jeans and a sweatshirt.

  “I’m about to meet Nell on the block for a minute.”

  I immediately got pissed, and I knew she could see it all over my face.

  “Brit you need to stay away from Nell. He's too old for you and he treats you like shit.”

  “Just like you told me earlier, mind your own business.”

  “Yeah, I will until you come crying to me because he put his hands on you again.”

  “Whatever Tay. I got this.”

  “You grown boo. I can't tell you shit. Just remember that next time he comes at you sideways.”

  “I'm out.” Brit lifted her body from my bed and left my room. I knew she had an attitude about me coming at her about Nell, but I didn’t care. Nell was no good, and she really needed to stay away from him. He only used Brit for sex and as a punching bag, so I didn’t even know what she saw in him anyway, but for some reason she just kept hanging around him. Brit was just young and dumb. It was cray to me how different she and I were. Brit was wild and always into shit, and I swear she just didn’t care about how it made her look. She moved from guy to guy like it was nothing, always saying that she didn’t care what people thought, but I knew better. She cared, she just didn’t know how to reverse what she started years ago.

  Hakeem

  “Yo, where you at bruh?” I said as soon as I pulled up at Rivals and didn’t see Jodie’s ride.

  “I’m pulling up now. I had to run through the block real quick because Talen called and said he was running low, but I see you bruh.”

  “Aight, good.” I ended the call just as Jodie pulled in and parked his truck right next to mine.

  “What you think this shit is about?” Jodie asked as he locked his door and slid his keys into his pocket.

  “Shit, I don't know. Simuel never requests a sit down unless some shit is about to pop off.”

  “You know, I keep hearing that he’s giving this up, so maybe he wants to talk about what’s going to happen when Rock and Juice take over,” Jodie said.

  “Yeah, I was thinking that too but they’re cool with us, so as long as they let us keep Clinton I’m good.”

  We made our way inside and dapped Bo, who was sitting at the door. Bo was damn near a giant at almost 7 feet tall, and all of 400 pounds. He was scary as hell so nobody ever tried him, but he was cool with us.

  “What up Keem, Jodie.” Bo’s voice was deep and raspy, so it always sounded like he was whispering until his big ass started yelling; then he had so much bass in his voice that it was like the ground shook when he spoke.

  “Shit, chillin, you know how we do,” Jodie said.

  “He’s waiting for you in the back. Go on in,” Bo said, signaling towards the back of the club so I led the way, followed by Jodie; we spoke to a few regulars as we made our way through the club. When we reached the back, Truck was standing outside the door looking hard as hell, like always. He nodded towards the door, signaling for us to go in, so I opened the door and stepped inside, where I found Simuel surrounded by three half-dressed women who were tending to his needs.

  “What’s up Keem, Jodie. Have a seat,” Simuel motioned towards the leather chairs that were sitting in front of his desk, so Jodie and I both sat down an immediately, the two females that didn’t have their mouths on Simuel’s body parts walked over to us.

  I waved the girl in front of me off, and Jodie did the same. “I’m good, baby girl.” She looked back at Simuel, as if requesting permission leave.

  “Ladies, give us a minute. I’ll have Truck come and get you when I’m done handling business.” All three of them left the room, and Simuel buttoned his pants before addressing us. He walked over to his mini bar, opened the cooler, and got out three beers. He handed one each to me and Jodie before he sat down behind his desk again

  “So I’m sure you’re wondering why I asked you to meet me here, so I’ll get right to it. You two are the best lieutenants I have. You’re moving more weight on Clinton than some of my areas combined, which is a good thing. I’m impressed. Always have been with you two. You run shit the way I used to back in the day.”

  “Preciate that,” I said, hoping that he would get to the point. I was tired as fuck and ready to head home.

  “I’m sure you’ve heard that I’m stepping down.” Jodie and I looked at each other, and then back to Simuel

  “Yeah, it’s been on the streets for a minute,” Jodie said.

  “Well I am. I’m getting too old for this shit,” Simuel chuckled, and then leaned back in his chair. “I’ve been doing this for a long ass time. Shit, Lonny put me on when I was sixteen and then gave me total control when I turned twenty. I’m 38 now, and I think it’s time to call it quits. Shell wants me out this shit, anyway so what my baby wants she gets. I’ve got my clubs and my dealerships, plus more money stashed away than I could spend in a lifetime, so it’s time.”

  “So will we keep Clinton?” I asked after I glanced at Jodie and then focused on Simuel.

  “Is that all you want?” Simuel asked, with almost no expression.

  “We’re good with Clinton. We’re making money and shits running smooth.”

  “But is that all you want?” Simuel asked, looking from me to Jodie.

  “We’re down for whatever,” I said.

  “You’re about to graduate, right? What are you plans after that?” Simuel asked.

  “Shit I don’t know, I haven’t figured that out yet, but I know I’m not working a fucking nine to five. That shit is not for me. I wanna own shit.”

  “What about you, Jodie? What’s your plan?”

  “Fuck, I wanna make money. This is all I know.”

  Simuel was quiet for a minute, like he was thinking about what to say next, and when he was ready he looked me dead in my eyes and spoke.

  “I want you to take over for me.”

  What do you mean take over?” Jodie asked.

  “Lonny put me on and gave me this shit, and now I’m offering it to you. The two of you. If you want it.”

  “What about Rock and Juice?” I asked.

  “They can stay on and help you run things if they want, but honestly they can’t run this shit. I’ve watched you. Both of you over the years, and you're good at it. You make smart decisions and you're careful. You know both the business side as well as the street side, and I respect your hustle. I’ve worked too hard to give it to someone who’s gonna fuck it up, so I’m offering it to you.”

  “Do they know?” I asked. Shit,
I can image that naturally Rock and Juice would expect to be next in line. Simuel had two daughters; one was a model in New York while the other was in school in Atlanta, but he kept them away from the business, so I could guarantee that Rock and Juice were expecting to take over.

  “Let me worry about them. If you want this shit, it’s yours. I’ll stay on for a while to make sure that you have a handle on things, but after that I’m out and it’s all you. I looked at Jodie and could see the excitement in his eyes. He was thinking what I was thinking. We were about to take over and be doing it big.

  “If you need time to think about it that’s cool, but just let me know. I’m trying to get shit in place so that I can step down soon–real soon.”

  “Nah, fuck it. We don’t need time. If you’re serious then we’re down,” Jodie said, looking at me to make sure we were on the same page.

  “Keem?” Simuel said my name to get a verbal from me.

  “Fuck it, let’s do it,” I said.

  “Aight then. We have a lot to go over, so I’ll set up some meetings. First off, we need to have a sit down with the organization to announce that you’ll be taking over, and then we’ll start figure out the rest.

  “Aight bet.” Jodie and I stood and dapped Simuel before leaving his office. The second we were outside standing by our trucks, I couldn’t control it any more.

  “Did that shit just happen?” I looked at Jodie, who was smiling so big all thirty twos were at risk of falling out.

  “Hell yeah it did. What the fuck Keem!”

  “We just inherited a fucking empire is what the fuck,” I said.

  “This shit does not seem real.”

  “You think we can do this shit?” I asked.

  “Hell yeah we can. We’re good at this Keem, and you know it.”

  “Yeah, but it’s one thing to run a block; controlling almost a whole state is a whole other situation. Fuck, Simuel’s reach is long Jodie. Can we really do this?”

  “Fuck yeah we can. We were built for this.”

  “Yeah you right, but you know there’s gonna be some fallout. Shit, there are people that have been under Simuel for years, way longer than us, and I know they’re going be mad as hell that we just walked in and took over.”

  “Fuck em, either they’re with us or against us, but it was his decision. He chose us so they can either respect that or get the hell on, but either way we’re gonna do the damn thing.” Jodie held his hand up, which I grabbed, and he pulled me into a hug.

  “For life bruh,” Jodie said.

  “For life.” I got in my truck and decided to call and check on Liyah since I planned on running through the block before I headed home.

  “Where are you?” Liyah asked as soon as she heard my voice.

  “Bout to roll through the block for a minute and then I’m heading home. You cool?”

  “Yeah I’m good. I was just wondering why you weren’t here yet.”

  “I had to handle something with Jodie real quick, but I’ll be on my way in a minute.”

  “Aight. I’ll see you when you get here.”

  “Make sure the door is locked and the alarm is set.”

  “It is. Mel just left.”

  “Aight, I’ll see you in about an hour.”

  I pulled up on the block just as I ended my call with Liyah and decided to walk through our trap house first. Rally walked right up to me the second my feet hit the pavement, rambling about the game.

  “What’s up Keem? Did you shut em down out there tonight?”

  “Yeah, I did my thing. Where’s everybody at?” I asked, scoping out the block. It looked empty as hell.

  “Nell’s around the corner with Brit, and everybody else is spread out. Mouse, Dee, and Jay are inside. I'm not sure where Talen is.”

  “Who the fuck did you say Nell was with?”

  Rally looked at me like he didn’t want to answer, but he did anyway. “Brit.”

  “Where ‘bout?” Nell’s old ass didn’t have any business fucking with Brit. She was only seventeen, and Nell liked to put hands on women. He had damn sure better hope that he didn’t do shit to Brit, or I was fucking him up. I knew that Brit was wild as hell and she slept around more than a little bit, but she was still Tay’s little sister so if anybody fucked with her, they had to deal with me.

  “Down there by Jay’s house.” Rally pointed in the direction he saw Nell and Brit go.

  “Aight, ‘preciate Rally.”

  “I locked my truck and started walking towards Jay’s house, and when I reached the alley on the side I saw Nell with Brit pinned up against the wall. He had his hands up her sweatshirt, and it looked like he was sucking on her neck.

  “Yo, Nell. Let me holla at you for a minute.” I stood at the end of the alley, with my arms folded across my chest waiting.

  Nell looked up at me like he was ready to take my head off, but he knew better than to ignore me. Nell liked to put his hands on females, but he wasn't man enough to fight a real man.

  “What up Keem.” I kept my eyes on Brit as she adjusted her clothes and leaned against the wall, doing something on her phone.

  “The fuck you doing over here with Brit? You know she’s only seventeen?

  “Man I know. It’s nothing serious. We just mess around a little bit.”

  “Not anymore,” I said, looking him right in the eyes so that he would know how serious I was.

  “You’re joking right?” Nell laughed a little, but shut it off when he realized I wasn’t playing

  “Do I look like I’m joking? This shit right here is over and if I find out you ever put your hands on her, I will personally fuck you up.”

  Nell looked at me like he wanted to challenge my decision, but then decided to let it go.

  “Man fuck that, I’ve got money to make anyway,” he said.

  “Exactly. I don’t know why you’re out here fucking around on my dime in the first place.”

  Nell was already moving towards the block, but he looked back at me and I could tell that he was pissed. He did the right thing though and kept it to himself.

  “Brit.” I held my hand in the air and waved for her to come to me, which she did.

  “Where did Nell go?”

  “Don’t worry about all that. Take your ass home. You don’t have any business out here fucking around with Nell in the first place. He’s too old for you Brit, and that isn't what you need.”

  “How are you going to tell me what I need?” Brit said, scowling at me.

  “Brit, go home before you get your little ass into something you can’t handle, you know what–in fact, I’ll take you. Let’s go.”

  “Fuck you Keem. I already have daddy at home; I don’t know one on the block too, you can save that for Tay.”

  “Brit, I’m not trying to be your damn daddy, but I am a friend and I’m looking out. Nell is not what you want. I promise you, so let’s go so I can take you home.”

  She looked at me and rolled her eyes before she finally started walking. I unlocked my truck and Brit got in, while I stopped to talk to Dee for a minute.

  “Yo, how long have Nell and Brit been fucking around?”

  “Shit I don’t know. I’ve only seen them together a few times, but that’s it,” Dee said, looking over at my truck.

  “I don’t want Nell anywhere near her. She's too fucking young to be dealing with him. Put the word out for me and if you see Nell even walk on the same side of the street as Brit, let me know.”

  “Got you boss,” Dee said with a big ass grin.

  “What I tell you bout calling me that shit,” I said, mugging Dee.

  “It is what it is, playboy. You’re the fucking boss around here. I call em like I seem em.” Dee looked at me serious as hell.

  I just laughed. “Aight I’m out. I’m about to take Brit home and then take my ass to sleep. I’ll check you in the morning.”

  “Aight Keem.”

  I dapped Dee and then got in my truck to find Brit switching my CDs.

>   “Why are you in here fucking with my shit, Brit.”

  “You were taking your time and I was bored,” she said, rolling her eyes at me.

  “I don’t know who’s worse, you or Tay.”

  “That would be Tay,” Brit said with a grin. “You need to invest all this extra time you're spending on cock blocking me into trying to get with Tay.”

  I pulled away from the curb and drove around the corner towards Brit and Tay’s house, and when I pulled up in front Brit just looked at me, smiling.

  “You coming in?” Brit asked with a smirk.

  “Nah, I’m taking my ass home. I’m tired as fuck.”

  “You know my sister will be more than happy to see you.”

  “Go inside Brit, and stay away from Nell or you’re gonna mess around and get him hurt. I already warned him, so don’t get him caught up. Stay the fuck away from him Brit.”

  “Yes sir,” she said, holding her hand up to her forehead like she was saluting me.

  “Bye Keem.”

  Brit got out and I watched as she made her way up the stairs, and into the house. Her little ass was too much, and she was bound to get herself caught up in something if she didn’t slow down.

  When I finally made it home, I hopped straight in the shower and stretched out on my bed. My body was tired and sore from the game, and I could barely keep my eyes open. I was ready for the day to be over because I knew that the next day was going to be an easy day. I didn’t have any classes and we had a.m. practice, so I would be back home by 9:00 to catch a nap, and then I would have the rest of the day to just chill.

  The second I closed my eyes, I felt my phone vibrate on my nightstand so I reached over and grabbed it, realizing it was a text from Tay that simply said thank you. It was after midnight but she was up, so I called instead of replying to her text.

  “For what?” I asked as soon as I heard her voice.

  “For making Britten come home. I keep telling her Nell is bad news, but she won’t listen to me. She thinks I’m just trying to run her life but I’m not; I just know that Nell is bad news.”

  “She’s good. I told Nell to stay away from her. He can either respect my wishes or deal with the consequences.”

  Tay didn’t say anything, but I could hear her breathing so I knew she was still on the line.