“Deal,” he said knowing no money was subtracted. “Next time ya’ll have a problem just come and talk to me. Ain’t no need for no guns. Ya’ll know me and ya’ll know we can work out whatever. Give me a couple days to get the paperwork right on the Mustangs.” Deuce’s smile didn’t reveal the plot taking shape.
“All right,” The boys said. They left laughing and joking.
3
Back up in the Dungeon, Don and Jon were playing Sega. Kay searched the music collection. They drank from a couple of 40 ounces of Colt 45, an old-timer copped for them earlier.
“Oh yeah,” Don said pausing the game. “Y’all owe me five hundred a piece.”
“For what?” Zoe asked.
“I know ya’ll didn’t forget about the little bet we got. I got the baddest chick in school for a date and unless ya’ll can pull a rabbit out ya’ll ass and get Janet Jackson, I suggest ya’ll pay up now and save ya’ll selves some dignity.” Don said.
“I wouldn’t count my chickens before they hatched if I was you.” Jon said.
“Who’s your date, Jon?” Don asked wanting to know who was better than Vanessa.
“It’s a surprise. Everyone will see when I arrive at the dance with the finest girl in Gary.” Jon said smiling.
Don looked at his brother and started laughing.
“What’s so funny?” Jon asked.
“Man everybody knows that Lynette hates your guts. If you not bringing Janet Jackson forget about it,” Don said.
The rest of the night went with the boys having a ball talking shit, raiding the fridge and playing Sega. Jon managed to get away for awhile and had a long conversation with Lynette. Then fell asleep happy, dreaming of Lynette.
Three days later, Deuce had the paperwork on all five 1992 Mustangs in order. When the boys delivered their next shipment of cars Deuce only paid all of them two hundred and fifty dollars.
“What the fuck is this.” Don said reaching for the .32.
“Hold up, Don.” Deuce said.
He walked to the back of the garage where the finished cars were kept. “It cost me way more than I expected. My man said it would draw a bust getting all five of them done at once.” Deuce was lying through his teeth. The boys still was not getting their full pay but they didn’t complain. Their mouths dropped when they walked into the area. Sitting in front of their eyes were five Mustangs with the wettest paint and all sitting on Dayton’s.
The boys was about to run to their car of choice but Deuce stepped in front of them.
“Twon you get the candy apple red, Kay, the black one with gold flakes in it. Zoe you get the deep plum purple color red one. Don, you get the money green one with gold flakes. And Jon the cocaine white one is yours.”
They went straight to get personalized license plates that read SCC. Gary and Chicago would hear more from them.
Doug, Pee-Wee, Darnell and Cash were sitting at Cash’s kitchen table going over the plan.
“I done got all the heat we need. If we fuck this up, then we’ll need everything.” Cash sipped Hennessy as he spoke. “We can’t afford mistakes.”
“I want one of the little muthafucka’s for that bullshit at the gym.” Darnell said passing the blunt to his left. “We got to make sure that all of them little punks end up dead.”
It was a week since Darnell was out the hospital. There were stitches on his chin and his lower lip. They shaved his head and put seventeen stitches to the back of his head. He had two painful ribs that were fractured. The crowd had really worked him over and the team. The other four members were out of the hospital. They quit messing with Cash and also warned Darnell to do the same. Darnell wanted revenge. Cash received a lot of criticism for leaving his guys hanging. He brushed it off.
“Man, we got to get this plan done up right because I ain’t trying to fuck up and then have to see all of the 11th. Specially, Bay Bro stupid ass,” Doug said and passed the blunt to Pee-Wee.
“Man shut the fuck up.” Pee-Wee said. He snatched the blunt from Doug. “You too soft, complaining and acting all scared like a little bitch. You better hope a nigga do you a favor and kill you because you’ll be somebody’s bitch in the joint.” Pee Wee laughed.
“Cool out Pee-Wee. Doug was telling it how he sees it that’s all.” Cash said.
They went over the plan changing what to do, finally demonstrating how it was going down. Cash felt satisfied.
The day of the dance the boys were running around trying to find Twon who had been missing since the night before. He had told his moms that he was spending the night with the twins but never showed up. The boys spent the morning driving around their hood and the adjoining hoods, trying to spot Twon’s car. It was damn near two o’clock and they still hadn’t heard a peep from him.
“You don’t think it was them dudes from the gym, do you?” Zoe asked leaning on a tree in front of the twin’s house.
“I don’t know,” Don said sipping a Hawaiian Punch. “But this shit ain’t adding up.”
The boys were about to go back into the house when they heard Deep Cover by Dr Dre and Snoop blaring from a car system. They stared at each other realizing it was Twon’s favorite. A few seconds later they saw the candy apple red 5.0 bend the corner. Twon pulled in front of the twin’s house.
“Get the fuck round the corner!” Jon yelled over the music.
Tina was in the house. Twon quickly pulled off and the boys walked to the next block.
“Man what the fuck is your problem?” Twon shot back.
All the boys knew that when Tina was home they had to park on the next block. There were no excuses. Jon grabbed Twon by the throat and forced him to bend over backwards falling onto the hood of Twon’s car.
“I’m not my brother! I will choke yo ass to death out here. If you ever disrespect me again, I will punish yo bitch ass. Do you understand me?” Jon spat everywhere and looked as if he was foaming at the mouth. Twon nodded.
“Jon! Jon! Man you gone kill him. Come on brother let up. It’s going to be all right.”
Jon slowly released his grip on Twon’s neck.
“You’re… you’re fucking crazy, man,” Twon said rubbing his neck.
Zoe watched, his mouth hanging open. He knew Jon had a bad temper, now he saw it.
“It’s ahight brother,” Kay said. He grabbed Jon around the shoulders leading him back to the Dungeon. The others followed.
“Man Don, that brother of yours is nuts. How he gone disrespect me like that?” Twon said walking next to Don.
“Man, you had everyone worried. He was going crazy trying to find you. You know how he takes shit personal. You’re lucky he didn’t kill yo ass for not telling us where you were going to be last night.” Don said.
They sat in silence. Jon and Kay were at the foot of Don’s bed. Don and Twon sat at the head of the bed. Zoe decided to sit on the couch. Jon had calmed down and finally spoke.
“Where the fuck was you at?”
“I’ve been meaning to tell ya’ll. I met this chick. She got a spot deep on the West side and from time to time, I fill in for some of her workers.” Twon answered evenly.
Don stared in wide-eye surprise.
“So let me