A Hustler's Promise: Some Promises Won't Be Broken Read online

  An excited squeal rose up the steps from the living room just as Jaicyn heard the front door open. Angelina was home.

  Jaicyn shook her head in disgust. She knew that her mother would come home eventually. She slowly walked downstairs and tried, unsuccessfully, to erase the look of contempt on her face. Angelina crouched down in the hallway to hug her young daughters. She didn’t look like she’d been on a three week drug binge so Jaicyn couldn’t pinpoint where she’d been. Either way, she didn’t care or even want to know.”

  “Hey, Jay-Jay,” Angelina said to her oldest daughter but Jaicyn ignored her and walked into the kitchen where she thought she smelled food. Just as she suspected, two large pizza boxes sat on top of the stove.

  Typical.

  Like pizza could make up for the fact that she’d been gone for three weeks.

  “I brought home dinner,” Angelina said to Jaicyn when she walked into the tiny kitchen with Bobbie and Rickie behind her.

  Pizza sure beats hot dogs and French fries and the younger girls were excited to finally have some “real food”. Angelina grabbed the paper plates off the top of the refrigerator, put a couple of slices on her plate, and started eating. Jaicyn waited a few seconds to see if her mom would act like a mother and fix Rickie and Bobbie’s plates too. When she didn’t, Jaicyn snatched the plates off the counter and fed her sisters.

  “Do you have any money?” Jaicyn snapped. “We don’t have any food.”

  “I'll pick up some food tomorrow.”

  “Are you going to pay the phone bill too?” Jaicyn asked. “The phone’s been off for a week.”

  “Damn it, Jaicyn,” Angelina yelled. I don’t need an update on what’s going on in my house.”

  “Your house?” Jaicyn repeated. “You wouldn’t even have a house if I hadn’t paid the rent. And you owe me three hundred dollars.”

  Angelina’s eyes widened eagerly. “Where’d you get three hundred dollars? You have any more?”

  “Are you shittin’ me?” Jaicyn yelled.

  Angelina held her head down shamefully. She knew it was wrong to ask her child for money. Jaicyn had every right to be a little angry but there were good reasons why she’d stayed away for so long, reasons that she didn’t feel needed explaining to a child.

  “Are you going to eat?”

  “I don’t want any of your food!”

  Jaicyn stormed out of the house and slammed the front door. She sat down on the cold concrete stoop and watched her neighborhood come alive when the streetlights came on. Hustlers, stick up boys, gangsters…they all came out when the sun started to set.

  Jaicyn watched the corner boys selling dope and wondered how many of them had actually sold to her mother. She couldn’t be mad at them. When Angelina wanted to get high, she found a way. If they weren’t selling to her, another group of guys were.

  Jaicyn spotted Rayshawn at the same time he saw her. As soon as they caught each other’s eye, Rayshawn crossed the street and approached her stoop.

  “What’s up?” he greeted her. “What are you doing out here? It’s cold.”

  “I don’t know,” Jaicyn admitted. “I just can’t be around my mother. I almost hit her.”

  “She came back?”

  Jaicyn looked at Rayshawn with an obvious question in her eyes. She didn’t know that he was aware of her mother’s disappearing acts. He didn’t live in her neighborhood.

  “Yeah, she’s home acting like nothing’s wrong. She brings home pizza like she’s been feeding her kids for the last three weeks. I’ve been out here making sure that Rickie and Bobbie have a decent meal and she waltzes in with their favorite food. Now I look like an ass for trying to make them eat hot dogs again.”

  Rayshawn wanted to say something to cheer her up but he couldn’t think of anything. He was too shocked that Jaicyn was having a real conversation with him.

  “Did you say Ricky and Bobby?” Rayshawn tried to steer the conversation away from Angelina. “I thought you had sisters.”

  Jaicyn laughed. “I do. Rickie and Bobbie; with an I.E, not a Y. That’s how girls spell it.”

  “You mean your mother named three girls Jaicyn, Rickie, and Bobbie? What the hell was she smokin’?” Rayshawn laughed.

  Jaicyn frowned. “What the hell do you think?” she mumbled.

  “Sorry, that came out wrong,” Rayshawn immediately felt bad. “Why’d she give you boys’ names?”

  Jaicyn sighed and shrugged. “She named us after our fathers. Maybe she did it so she could remember their names. I don’t know.”

  Rayshawn shifted uncomfortably. He didn’t like the change in Jaicyn’s tone. It was almost time for him to get back to his grandparents house and he didn’t want to leave on a bad note. He thought Jaicyn was interesting and didn’t want her mad at him.

  “What you doin’ tomorrow?” he asked.

  “I’m suspended,” she replied. “I’m not doing anything.”

  “Maybe I'll come hang out if I don’t go to school tomorrow.”

  “That’s cool,” Jaicyn smiled a little.

  Rayshawn wanted to smile but he held back. He didn’t want Jaicyn Jones to know how excited he was. He’d watched her for years, too intimidated by her. Most girls were intimidated by Rayshawn’s rough exterior and demeanor. Jaicyn wasn’t intimidated by anything. She could hold a conversation with anyone and usually out talk anyone too. She was rough around the edges. Thank goodness, she didn’t look the part.

  Rayshawn started to walk up the street in the direction of his grandparents’ house. Jaicyn watched him walk away with a smile on her face. She kept staring after him until he turned the corner and was out of sight. She wanted to run back in the house and call Autumn but stopped. She couldn’t call Autumn.

  The damn phone was off.

  Chapter 2

  The school bell rang and Dayshawn rushed out of his Algebra class and jogged down the crowded hallway. Only one more class then he would be free to go looking for his brother. Rayshawn’s habit of skipping class was causing a problem for both of the twins. Dayshawn’s attendance didn’t cause any concern in their grandparents’ home but lately, Mrs. Moore was starting to get calls about Rayshawn’s truancy problem. She expected things to change and she expected Dayshawn to make it happen.

  Dayshawn saw someone standing at his locker and frowned. He tapped his brother on the shoulder.

  “What?” Rayshawn asked.

  “Why didn’t you come to school this morning? And why come now? School’s almost over.”

  “I came to get you,” Rayshawn informed his brother. “I have to roll over to the Park and I damn sure ain’t goin’ by myself.”

  “Man, why do you have to go over there? You’re going to get us shot.”

  Oak Park Projects was the last place that Dayshawn wanted to spend his after school time. The notorious housing project was the city’s hub for drug and gang activity. The residents were suspicious of anyone coming through there that didn’t live in the housing project. Nothing got you shot quicker than going over to the Park and causing trouble.

  “King is sending me,” Rayshawn explained. “He said something’s off with their money and wants me to check it out.”

  “Do you have to do everything that King tells you to do?” Dayshawn asked. His brother simply stared at him.

  “I’m trying to make some money. You comin’ or what?”

  Dayshawn had no intention of ever working for King. Selling drugs only got a person one of two things; dead or in jail. Everyone knows this, but for some, like his brother, the lure of money kept them from making the smart choice. Working for Andre “King” Carter was money in the bank. His organization was deep and complex and he had his eye on Rayshawn for months. Dayshawn saw this coming over the summer. There might not be anything he could do to stop his brother from getting involved in the drug game, but he certainly wouldn’t let Rayshawn walk up into Oak Park projects alone.

  “I’ll come but we have to go to Spanish. If you miss another class
, Miss Ortiz is going to call Gram.”

  Rayshawn didn’t have a problem with going to Spanish. It was his favorite class. If it was earlier in the day, he’d probably be doing a lot better than averaging a C. He often left school right after lunch, if he came at all, so he ended up missing Spanish class a lot. It was also his favorite class because he shared it with Jaicyn. She wasn’t in school today though.

  Rayshawn and his brother took their seats in the back of the room while their teacher attempted to teach twenty impatient and unruly sophomores how to count and properly conjugate Spanish verbs.

  “You never answered my question,” Dayshawn reminded his twin.

  “What question?”

  “Why didn’t you come to school this morning?”

  Rayshawn grinned. “I was hangin’ with Jaicyn.”

  Dayshawn arched his eyebrows. “Jaicyn? That girl is trouble. Why are you hanging out with her?”

  Even though she was Autumn’s best friend and Dayshawn really liked Autumn, he didn’t know much about Jaicyn. What he did know, he didn’t like. She was loud, hot-headed, and liked to fight. Plus she only dated guys who had money to spend on her. Rayshawn was broke so he didn’t stand a chance.

  “Jay-Jay is cool, man. Plus, she’s fine. You know that.”

  “So. You weren’t even talking to her two weeks ago, now you’re hanging out with her instead of coming to school. You like her now?”

  “It’s not like that,” Rayshawn explained. “I just said she’s cool. I ain’t lookin’ for a girlfriend right now. I’m trying to get paid.”

  Dayshawn decided to let the conversation go, although he suspected that his brother thought more of Jaicyn Jones than he was admitting to. He wouldn’t be the first dumb boy to get caught up in her drama. As much as Rayshawn hated dramatic chicks, he’d be through with Jaicyn as soon as she cussed him out in front of the entire student body like she’d done with Cameron.

  When the final bell rang, Miss Ortiz kept the twins a little later to lecture Rayshawn on his attendance. After the lecture, Rayshawn waited impatiently for his brother to finish up his conversation with a couple of cheerleaders and then they headed to Oak Park.

  They walked the fifteen minute walk to the projects in total silence. Dayshawn’s stomach was in knots, not because he was nervous, but because Rayshawn wouldn’t reveal what he was planning on doing when they got there. It wasn’t for Dayshawn to know. Rayshawn worked for King and he had business to handle for the boss. Dayshawn was there just in case something happened. When they got a block away from the projects, Rayshawn stopped walking and pulled his brother to the side. He reached into his black book bag and pulled out a dull black nine millimeter handgun.

  “Take this,” Rayshawn said. “Tuck it under your shirt. If shit pops off, don’t shoot unless I say so.”

  Dayshawn stared at the handgun. His brother was serious. He’d never held a gun before and didn’t want to start, but going into Oak Park unarmed was plain old stupid. He took the weapon and stuck it in his waistband.

  “Stay behind me,” Rayshawn ordered. “Let me handle these cats.”

  They started walking again. As directed, Dayshawn walked a few feet behind his brother and watched him scare the hell out of the crew selling dope in the middle of the rundown courtyard.

  Rayshawn walked through the projects like he was down there every day. No one stopped him or asked him any questions. They knew who he was and sensed that King had sent him. Rayshawn had been there before and knew exactly who he was looking for. When King told him that the money in the Park was coming up short every week, Rayshawn already knew why.

  The whole operation in the Park was poor, by any businessman’s standards. Oak Park was prime territory and could be making more money if the crew in place knew what they were doing. In Rayshawn’s opinion, King needed to put a brand new crew down there with someone who was smart enough to get the job done. He was perfect for the job. Rayshawn had every intention of using this opportunity to show King that he could run a crew and make him more money than these jokers. He was sick of running errands.

  Currently Derrick, a twenty year old high school dropout, was in charge of the Park. Derrick had been selling drugs for King since he was fifteen. Rayshawn knew that the last thing Derrick would appreciate was a sixteen year old trying to tell him what to do. He ignored Rayshawn’s approach and continued talking on the payphone to his girlfriend.

  Rayshawn reached around the boy and hung up the phone. Derrick spun around angrily, ready to kick Rayshawn’s ass for disrespecting him.

  “What the fuck are you doin’?” Rayshawn yelled. “Is that what y’all do down here all day?”

  “Man, get the fuck up out of here,” Derrick said. “You know better than come down here with that bullshit. Don’t get fucked up, Rayshawn.”

  Every person in the city knew who Rayshawn was, especially the south side crews. Most of them referred to him as King’s pet project. It was obvious that King had taken Rayshawn under his wing because he had big plans for him. No one knew what those plans were and Derrick didn’t appreciate him sending Rayshawn down there to “check” him.

  He should have been grateful to see Rayshawn. Derrick was treading on thin ice and if money kept going missing, he’d have to do more than explain why. Rayshawn meant he had a second chance at pulling things together. King could have sent his shooters, Slim and Blaque, to handle the problem.

  “Where’s the stash at?” Rayshawn asked. “And don’t act like you don’t want to show me. If King finds out that you ain’t cooperating, you know Blaque will be down here before you have a chance to hide.”

  Rayshawn was shocked when Derrick led him and Dayshawn into an occupied apartment. The residents included a teenage girl, her newborn baby, and the girl’s mother. They were watching television when Dayshawn opened the door and walked to the back of the apartment. They didn’t even look up.

  “You keep the stash in your apartment?” Rayshawn couldn’t believe it.

  “It’s safe here,” Derrick said. “Ain’t no one gonna run up in my crib.”

  He tossed two gym bags on the bed and left the twins alone in the room. Rayshawn quickly counted the money in the one of the bags and figured out Derrick’s problem almost immediately. No one was stealing King’s money. Derrick just couldn’t do simple math.

  “What’s the verdict?” Dayshawn asked as Rayshawn packed up the money and drugs and put them back in the closet.

  “Niggas can’t count, is all,” Rayshawn answered. “Let’s go.”

  The twins walked past the crew but Rayshawn said nothing to Derrick. The only one who needed an explanation of what was going on was King. When he found out that Derrick was incapable of calculating simple percentages, King would get rid of him. Rayshawn saw a demotion in Derrick’s near future and a promotion in his.

  As the twins walked towards King’s place, Rayshawn told his brother about the morning he’d spent with Jaicyn. The more he talked, the more Dayshawn could tell that his brother was infatuated with Jaicyn Jones. It irritated him because Rayshawn could do better than a hood chick like Jaicyn. He didn’t think that Jaicyn was necessarily a bad person, just not right for Rayshawn. Everyone in the neighborhood was aware of Jaicyn’s family issues. She may be just a fifteen year old girl stuck in a bad situation but her situation was exactly what Rayshawn didn’t need to be caught up in.

  “Why are we going to King’s?” Dayshawn asked. “Can’t you just call him when we get home?”

  “No,” was all Rayshawn said as he led them to King’s office in the back of his used car dealership.

  King was on the phone when the twins entered the room. He wasn’t alone, but then again, King was never alone. He always had protection and Ron and Paul were two off duty police officers that went everywhere they could with the boss.

  When the twins walked in, King held up two fingers and Paul walked over to the open safe and pulled out a stack of hundred dollar bills. He peeled off four and handed them
to Rayshawn. Two hundred dollars apiece for twenty minutes of work was tempting but Dayshawn felt uncomfortable taking money from King. He hadn’t done anything anyway, just had his brother’s back. He just wanted to get out of there but Rayshawn wasn’t making any moves to leave. Dayshawn had a gut feeling that Rayshawn was about to do or say something that was going to change both of their lives forever and he didn’t like it.

  King noticed Rayshawn still sitting and abruptly ended his call.

  “What’s up?” King asked. “You got something on your mind?”

  Rayshawn swallowed hard. He didn’t want King to blow him off or see how nervous he was. Over the last few months, King always preached that Rayshawn should “never show fear”. King didn’t respect fear because he feared nothing himself.

  “I think,” Rayshawn began, “I think you have a bigger problem down at the Park than you think.”

  “Oh yeah? What’s going on down there?”

  “It’s bad, man,” Rayshawn said. “They keep the stash and money in Derrick’s apartment. They talk on the phone. We walked up in there without anybody saying shit. That’s not how the Park should be run. You need a new crew down there.”

  Rayshawn kept talking, rushing through his thoughts because he wouldn’t have another opportunity to say what he saw. He told King about the things that he noticed during the few times he’d gone down to the Park including how the dealers leave their posts, how they can’t count cash right, and how they barely have anyone looking out for the police or worse…stick up boys.

  “So what do you think I should do about it?” King asked when Rayshawn finally stopped talking. “You wouldn’t be in here speaking on this if you didn’t have a plan.”

  “I think you should let me run the Park.”

  Dayshawn wanted to grab his brother and drag him out of King Cars, especially when King started laughing. The notion of a sixteen year old kid running the hottest piece of drug real estate in the city was ridiculous. Rayshawn had never even sold drugs before. There was no way King would entertain the thought of letting him take on something as big as Oak Park, at least Dayshawn hoped King wasn’t that stupid.