Chapter 16

No Remorse

“Damn, man, I hope them niggaz ain’t mess up,” Pokey said aloud to no one really in particular, just speaking his mind. As he drove back to the projects with the car smelling of hamburgers and fries, like they had planned, just in case Turtle and his two goons got scared and called it off. “Well, it’s one in the morning, over an hour since we left,” Pokey said, pulling up into the projects to see police cars everywhere, lights flashing like crazy.

“I guess them niggas handle their business,” Fatboy said, jumping out the car with a Krista bag in hand.

“Just follow my lead,” Pokey said, running up to the officer guarding the door.

“You can’t come in here, son. This is a crime scene.”

“Man, my two lil cousins live here!” Pokey screamed. “What the fuck happen?”

“Well, from the looks of things, it looks like a home invasion ’cause we didn’t find any drugs or money, just four, no, five dead bodies. One guy was still alive but died while he was trying to tell us something.”

“What guy was that?” Pokey asked, with tears in his eyes, faking the funk.

“Some older guy,” the police said. “Look as you live here.”

“No, I just told you. I had two cousin living here,” Pokey said, as Fatboy and Flick walked up beside him.

“Dog, what happen?” Fatboy said, putting on a show as well.

“They say my cousin got killed and some older dude.”

“Who else?” Flick asked, knowing the female was there also.

“I don’t know, dog.”

“Look,” the officer said, “can y’all help us out?”

“Doing what?” Pokey said.

“Well, you said they were ya cousins. So can you ID them for us?”

“I should be able to,” Pokey said.

“All right, come on it.”

When Pokey walked in, all he seen was blood everywhere. But instead of becoming sick, he likes the smell of death as he looked round. He saw all the dead bodies lying, unmoving, as he walked up to what was left of Boo Boo. He told the officer, “This is my lil cousin Boo Boo,” and pointed at the naked young girl with the hole in her throat and head and said, “I don’t know her name, but this was his baby’s mother. Well, she was pregnant with his child.”

“Damn, these niggas ruthless,” he was thinking. As the officer asked if he could identify this person, he walked over to a person who looked like Double D, and he almost lost his breath.

“So this the nigga that almost told what went down.”

“Yeah, man, I mean, Officer. This was a friend of their late mother, who y’all killed a while back. This is Double D,” Pokey said, looking at the big asshole that entered his eye socket and I guess found a resting place. Somewhere in his head, as bad as Pokey wanted to feel sorry, for what he planned, he couldn’t bring himself to feel any remorse.

“Look, son. We got two more dead bodies. I know you have seen a lot, but it’s almost over. Could you please come with me and identify the last two remains?”

“Man, whatever,” Pokey said. Walking behind the officer, with a slight smirk on his face, still really not believing he set these niggas up to get murked. As they entered the room, they found Shine still between his girl’s legs. With a hole in the back of his head, and his girl’s face half blown off. “I hope you got off before the bullet hit cha, nigga,” Pokey was thinking.

“Look, Officer, this my oldest cousin Shine. And that’s his girl April. Can I please go now? This shit is making me sick,” he said, acting as if he was about to throw up. “Uggh.”

“Go ’head, son. You can leave now, thanks for the help,” the officer said, watching Pokey as he walked away, knowing something wasn’t right. “This kid acted like he didn’t even see all these dead bodies lying around,” the officer was thinking.

When Pokey walked outside, he saw Fatboy and Flick talking to Mr. Big, who had a sad expression on his face. “Damn, here we go with all this crybaby-ass shit again,” Pokey was thinking as he walked up to them. “What’s up. Y’all all right out here?” Pokey asked.

“Yeah, dog, we good. What it look like in there?”

“Man, it’s a mess, whoever did that wasn’t even playing, them fools was playing for keeps,” Pokey said. “Whoever was in the house at the time got put to rest. Damn, Shine and Boo Boo gone,” Pokey said, playing the part in front of Mr. Big.

“You gonna be all right, Pokey?” Mr. Big asked.

“Yeah, I’mma be fine. I just need some time to think about life, ’cause one minute you here, the next you gone.”

“Look, y’all, whoever did this will pay. Life for a life,” Mr. Big whispered, with no remorse seen in his eyes.

“You know Double D got murk too. He was in there too, along with Boo Boo’s girlfriend. And the sad part is she was pregnant and killed butt-ass naked.”

“Yeah, that’s fuck up,” Mr. Big said. “But I won’t rest until I find out who did this, ’cause I got a feeling something ain’t right about this. Anyways, it’s a good thing y’all wasn’t in the house, or y’all probably would be dead too. Why wasn’t y’all here anyways?”

“Oh, ’round midnight we closed down shop, like always. And went and grab something to eat from the Krista’s up the road.”

“And it took y’all a whole hour to get back,” Mr. Big cut in.

“Man, we was just having fun, talking to some females that was up off into the place,” Fatboy said, defending them. “Why you questioning us like it’s our fault? Shit, those niggas could’ve rode with us. Before we left we told them will be back in an hour. We can’t help somebody spared us and not them,” Fatboy said, feeling no remorse for the loss of Mr. Big.

“All right, let’s forget all this for right now,” Mr. Big said. “Lord, please tell me these kids and my own son ain’t have nothing to do with this,” Mr. Big asked God in silence, “’cause something just ain’t right. When I look at these kids’ eyes, I see no sign of tears, no sign of hurt, and no sign of remorse. And that’s strange, they been working together for close to seven months now,” Mr. Big was thinking, till a voice brought him outta his thinking.

“Mr. Big. Damn, Mr. Big, you deaf? When I walked through the crib, I seems like everything was took. The stash spot was uncovered, and the bag holding the dope was gone,” Pokey said.

“Boy, I ain’t worried about no money, no dope, nothing but my two lil brothers at this time. I can make plenty money, get plenty dope. But I can’t bring back the ones who was lost here tonight,” he said, becoming tearful.

“Damn this nigga pie. This nigga always crying,” Fatboy was thinking.

“Anyways, I’m closing down shop. Shit’s getting too dangerous. And I ain’t about to bury y’all too.”

“Na’ll. Hell Na’ll, Mr. Big. You can’t just close down shop when shit get hot. Shit, for seven months we been doing this shit, and any given day, we could’ve met the same fate they met today,” Pokey said, becoming angry.

“Look, son. Shit is gonna be hot right now. This the same house somebody got killed in a few months ago.”

“Man, we know all about Mrs. Jones. You forgot we went to the funeral!” Pokey screamed.

“Listen, what you saying makes sense, so I’m feeling that,” Mr. Big said. “But we still gotta close down shop for at least a month or two.”

“Man, you tripping. Then all the customers will go elsewhere.”

“Man, stop being stupid. I ain’t telling y’all to stop hustling, I’m just saying you can’t do it here. This shit’s bound to be watched,” Mr. Big said.

“Oh, okay, we got you.”

“Look, y’all. If there is anything y’all need, I mean anything, let me know,” Mr. Big said. “Right now I gotta go. Get everything ready for the upcoming funerals. Damn, this shit crazy, y’all stay outta trouble,” Mr. Big said, hopping in his ride and peeling off. “Man, I know this my son and all. But this lil nigga’s heart is cold as steel. I got a bad feeling about this shit. I just don’t believe some niggas walked off in the crib and just murk my brother them. Those niggas always on point. So it had to be a setup,” Mr. Big was thinking deep in thought.

“Dog, we the shit,” Pokey said, jumping in his ride with his two dogs. “We fooled that nigga. Now he don’t suspect shit,” Pokey said. But Fatboy and Flick didn’t feel so sure. They knew Mr. Big was street-smart so they knew they had to stay on point. And keep this nigga Pokey in check, which won’t be easy. Seems like the killings gave him more energy.

“Well, what’s up? What y’all wanna do?” Pokey asked.

“Dog, take me to see my girl. I’mma call her from a payphone and let her know I’m on the way,” Fatboy said.

“It’s been a minute since a nigga had some, a night cool,” Pokey said. “But I ain’t gonna be waiting all day, while you sneaking in windows and shit.”

“Nigga, fuck you,” Fatboy said, playing.

“Shit, after that nigga done, take me by Rosie,” Flick said. “I ain’t gotta call. Her mom’s work tonight, from 2:30 a.m. till 9:30 in the morning.”

“Let’s ride, fuck all the talking,” Pokey said, turning on the tape player. “Yo live in die in LA, is the place to be, you got to be there to know it,” was the last thing Flick heard before he fell asleep.

        When he woke up, he was sitting in the car alone with Pokey, who was dead-ass sleep. “Damn, I been sleep a minute,” Flick thought. When he seen Fatboy give his girl a kiss as he landed on the ground, from climbing out the window.

        “Pokey, let’s go,” Fatboy said, as he got up and began to scratch.

“All right, dog. Next time, nigga, don’t be taking all motherfucking day,” Pokey said, looking crazy.

“Nigga, fuck dat,” Fatboy said.

“Look, I got something to tell y’all. But I’mma tell y’all later.

        

“Whatever, nigga. Wake me up when we get to Rosie’s,” Flick said, lying down in the backseat.