Beyond the Hurt Page 5

  “I’m good. I don’t need nobody lookin’ out for me.” Samson poked his chest out lifting his chin as his father instructed him to show he was a man and unafraid.

  “Calm down Young Blood. I’m not your enemy. As a matter-of-fact you don’t even want me to be your enemy.” Samson kept his stance with his eyes directly on the man engaging him. His hand stayed positioned behind his back on his bag in case he made any sudden movements. “I’ll tell you what, my name is Calvin Rogers and you seem like a good kid with your head on your shoulders.” Samson waited in suspense. He knew that a proposition was coming next. He was no stranger to the streets, he heard all about Calvin Rogers, although he had never seen him before, he definitely didn’t know that his father had any dealings with him, but Calvin meant money, status and power. If he could get all those without the help of his father, he was down to do just about anything. “How about you come and work for me. Don’t think of me being your boss, I don’t operate like that. This is an opportunity for you to have your own business and even have some employers working under you. How does that sound?”

  How does that sound? Samson thought back to himself. This was an opportunity of a lifetime. Calvin Rogers was not in the habit of just offering anybody a job or accepting rejection when the offer was placed on the table. He didn’t trust enough for that. He had to say yes. It could be life or death.

  “Can I ask you a question?” Still holding his stance, but a bit more relaxed knowing he was in good company.

  “Spit it out Young Blood, I’m on a time schedule and I don’t make it a point to be turned down.” He lowered the window all the way down so his entire face was visible. He removed his sunglasses to give man-to-man eye contact.

  “How do you know my father? And how did you know I was his son?” Samson was not sure if he even desired to know the answer, but he felt it right to ask considering the circumstances of his situation.

  Calvin laughed to himself, “Young Blood, your father and I go way back. Back before you were even born, but I will let him tell you all about that one day. Just know that I once had his back. He owes me his life. I was there for him in the greatest time of need, when no one else was. So what do you say?” Mr. Rogers felt this was the last time he was going to place the offer on the table. It was rapidly approaching its expiration.

  “I’m down.” Samson remarked with no hesitation. He was convinced that if his dad owed him his life, that he could trust him to improve his. Samson saw dollar signs and instant street credibility. He would be the talk of the town amongst his boys when they found out. Not to mention, now he had his gun.

  “Good. Consider yourself a King. Now I am a businessman and I like to conduct my business in private. You can’t tell anyone that you are working with me. Trust, people will know soon enough, but not by the way of your mouth. You understand Young Blood?”

  “Understood,” he replied to prove he accepted the agreement. Samson was well aware of the conditions of his partnership with Mr. Rogers. Part of him knew that what he was embarking on would upset his father. And in many ways, it was his form of revenge. If his father truly wanted him to be out of his house, he was left with no other choice, but to survive on his own.

  “Hop in the car. We are going to go for a ride.” Calvin Rogers instructed his driver to open the door for Samson and he crawled in awaiting his rite of passage into manhood.

  Chapter 5

  The Shadow Bar was abnormally packed on this particular night. Lance, Charles and Elijah were greeted by the hostess and escorted through like royalty to the private area in the rear. As a promoter and club bouncer, Charles frequented all of the hot spots in town and maintained a good standing relationship with the owners. The guys located the perfect table in the club that was conducive to the serious yet revealing conversation they intended to have. The DJ was on point, spinning the hottest 90s hip-hop and R&B jams. The vibe was mellow; couples, sexy ladies, sugar daddies were all out to have a good time through vibrant conversation and stimulating libations. The guys were not fully dressed for the occasion, but their reputations around town made up for their ill-intended dress attire. The crew often frequented this particular bar due to the reasonable drink offerings and the sassy, sexy, sophisticated women that found themselves there after work for happy hours and Girls’ Night Out.

  After the first round of drinks was ordered, Lance interrupted the nonsense chatter. “So Bruh, how did you manage to get off?” Lance wanted to get the lowdown on the real matter of why they met up. He was still bothered by the previous encounter that unfolded at his mama’s house, and any other news would help to shake his discomfort.

  “Man…they couldn't prove a damn thing. Yo boy had a real good lawyer and not to mention Pops came down and spoke a good word on my behalf. O.G. got pull.” He stated, reassured and took a sip of his beer relieved that he was a free man.

  “I don’t know what yo’ pops is really into, but he got a lot more going on than cars. I ain’t mad at him though. At least you are out.” Elijah followed suit and took a sip of his beer. Elijah prided himself on his ability to hustle and get things done, but he had a special admiration for him. When he did things, he made it count.

  Elijah was the friend in the crew that everybody could rely on. Anything and everything you needed, he either had a hook-up on it, knew where to purchase it, or how to fix it. When he received the call from Lance, he immediately stopped what he was doing to make sure that he was good. Actually, anytime any one of his boys was in a bind, he made sure to see that they were taken care of. He was almost like a big brother. He was a few years older than the rest of them. At thirty-five, he had the wisdom and street smarts of one of the triple Original Gangsters on the block in the neighborhood.

  “Moms did her thang as well. Got yo boy a lawyer and all.” Charles added smiling proud that his mama came through as he knew she would. “I was ordered to pay a criminal fine and two times the amount of overall damages. It comes out to be about $15,000, but y’all know I can pull that in a few weeks! Plus if I need any money, I can get it from Lance.” They all laughed and bumped fists, clanged their beer bottles together and sipped in unison toasting to another chance at life. The burden of spending unearned time in jail was not on Charles’ agenda.

  The young waitress assigned to their area, sauntered her way over to the table and collected the empty beer bottles distributed across the table. Her low cut Shadow V-neck t-shirt exposed just enough skin to get their attention long enough to interrupt the conversation for a moment. All three of them looked like little boys in the candy store drooling over the sugary spread. She somehow managed to always wait on the tables of the eligible bachelors that stepped foot in the nightclub and took advantage.

  “Are you boys having anything else?” she asked seductively batting her eyes slightly bent over the table to give a little cleavage surprise.

  “Nah…I think we are good right now, baby girl, unless you are offering your number.” Lance never missed an opportunity to add a girl to the team. She leaned into him, resting her breast on his right shoulder and whispered in his ear.

  “Before you leave out of here, make sure that you come see me,” she turned and walked away and put an extra twist in her walk because she knew the boys were watching like hawks. Her black mini skirt was just long enough to cover her butt cheeks, but any extra bend or gust of wind would reveal all that her mama gave her.

  “Damn! Can a brotha get some love? Elijah joked. “Don’t you have enough trouble in yo’ life? You trying to add another trick to the roster?”

  “I can’t help the fact that these hoes want me!” Lance spared them no filter. “Which reminds me, I brought y'all down here so I can clear my head.” He took another sip of his beer. He peered over at Charles to see how he was holding up.

  “Chuck, bruh…you good?” Lance questioned.

  “Yep. I’m good. I got to get this money, but other than that I’m straight.”

  “How is that chick you was hugged up
with at the club on your birthday?” He kept his eyes on his expression and body language, taking another sip of his beer.

  “After I hit that…I let the broad go. She was crazy. She tried to get me for my money after I fell asleep. And she tried to save the condom. You know I was gone that night drunk off that Hennessy. I normally don’t let them spend the night, but I had no choice. When I woke up in the middle of the night, she was all in my wallet. Caught her ass red-handed!”

  “Damn, dawg. What did you do?” Lance asked, trying to show concern for his boy.

  “I threw her ass out. What you think I did? In her panties and all. She tried to play me though. Said she was just trying to put her number in my wallet. What part of the game is that?”

  Lance hesitated a moment before he spoke again. “Tanisha came by the house the other day, claiming I got her pregnant!”

  “My Tanisha? What the hell?” Charles immediately rose up in his seat thrusting toward Lance to make a move. Elijah remained seated, silent, anticipating the answer to Charles’ question. He knew his friend was promiscuous; however, he didn’t imagine that with all the women in the city that Lance would find himself with one of his patna’s girls. “She played me behind my back, messin’ with the homie?”

  “Dawg. I got caught up. That chick got me! I didn’t know that y’all slept together. She told me that you weren’t interested and you know a brotha got a weak spot for red bones with that thickness. So I jumped on that!” Lance responded, attempting to reason with Charles. He hoped he would understand his dilemma and offer his immediate forgiveness.

  “Tanisha Watkins is crazy and so is her family. Her brother Tony tried to roll up on me the next day. I pulled out my pistol and he understood what time it was. But now you got to deal with her,” he remarked sarcastically. “I would never put no hoe before my fam, but for that, I hope she is pregnant because that is what yo ass get.” Charles sat back in his chair relieved that he didn’t have to deal with her or her scheming tactics. Lance was his boy, but they had their fair share of fistfights, nothing too serious that would break up the brotherhood. “I got 99 problems, but that bitch ain’t one,” Charles mocked, channeling his inner Jay-Z.

  “Well it ain’t no fun if all the homies can’t have none,” Elijah joked to lighten the mood back up. Yet with a serious smirk on his face, as if they obliged, he would be down for the cause. “Does she have a sister?”

  “I can’t believe yo ass though” Charles shook his head. Honestly very thankful that that night he used protection and caught her when she ventured to steal his sperm. After that night, he threw her out, he hadn’t heard from her. Charles and Lance were not in the business of discussing the women that they slept with, unless when things came up that were important: pregnancy, STDs, vandalism of any kind, regarding the women—it was cause for a man-to-man conversation.

  “I’m sorry to interrupt your conversation, but are one of you Lance Brown?” A beautiful mocha-chocolate skinned young lady dressed in black slacks and a red blazer approached the table. Her soft brown, classy bob styled hair complemented her appearance. She appeared no older than twenty-five, amiable and maternal in nature.

  “It depends on who’s asking, sweetheart?” Elijah sat up in his chair and put his hand down underneath the table by his hip. It wasn’t out of the ordinary for gangsters to use women as a decoy to set things off in the club. With all the news he was receiving today, he was very much on edge.

  “Well…my name is Jamie Lynn Johnson and I know Lance’s mom, Miss Lydia. She told me that I could find him here. She called me and said that we could talk because you probably really needed someone right now.” Jamie was speaking looking into the faces of all three men, not sure as to which one was actually Lance. The owner informed her of where they were seated in the back of the club. “I don’t normally come into places like this, but she seemed so worried that I came to just make sure that all was well.”

  “Say no more beautiful, I am Lance.” Lance turned and smiled. He considered this the perfect opportunity to escape the intense conversation. He lifted her hand and gently kissed it. “This is probably not the best place for us to have our first encounter, but since you are here, we can go somewhere and grab a bite to eat.” Lance knew that there was too much commotion in the bar to have any type of meaningful conversation. He nearly neglected the fact that his boys were present; his mind was focused and ready to take her for a night out on the town.

  “I think I would like that. I am hungry. Where should we meet?” Lance placed his hand around her waist to guide her out of the club. As he motioned to trail behind her, he remembered that he left his car back at his mama’s house and Elijah had been his driver when he offered up the invitation. He was not nearly as drunk as he had planned to be; luckily, it worked out because he was not very pleasant as a sloppy drunk. His expletives and raunchy demeanor would have immediately turned her off.

  “Oh…I actually don’t have my car. It is not normally my style to ask a woman to drive me around, but if you don’t mind…can I ride with you?”

  Jamie Lynn consented. Most of the information about Lance that she obtained was second-hand through Miss Lydia, yet she still felt connected to him. She trusted her instinct on this one in hopes that maybe he truly was “the one” for her. Lydia often shared stories and tales about her son and the many women that corrupted his potential, ensuring her that she did not raise her son in that way and all he needed was a wholesome woman to snap him back into shape. He was a good man in the rough.

  Lance turned and clutched his beer bottle savoring the last sip of his beverage and communicated to his boys he would catch up with them later with a few hand gestures. Charles still a bit disappointed in his friend just shook his head. Although they were close, he knew the type of man Lance was and the misleading lifestyle he led. Charles was a ladies’ man as well, yet he avoided leading any woman to believe that it was any more than what it was. He steered clear of long-term relationships or commitment. He was not a fan of monogamy and made it very clear to all the women he entertained. To Charles, this girl seemed different; really sweet and innocent, too good for Lance.

  “That dude stay getting women. He already got that one ho’ pregnant and now he is leaving with that fine ass woman? I ain’t no hater. I’m just saying,” pointing in their direction, Charles whispered under his breath to Elijah as Lance was exiting the table.

  “There is no way he is going to keep playing with fire and not get burned.” Elijah paused and looked at his half empty beer bottle. “At least, that is what my mama always told me.” They both laughed at his maternal wisdom and kept drinking.

  The waitress noticed Lance leaving the club with Jamie Lynn and marched over to him before he reached the entrance door. She slid her black pump in the aisle way blocking them from exiting, dug her freshly polished, red fingernails into her cleavage, pulling out a crumpled piece of a bar napkin with her number affixed on it. She gently pressed it into his hands as a reminder that she didn't forget about him. Jamie’s presence had no effect on her plan. She paid her no mind, leaned into him again, and whispered into his ear. “Make sure you use it.” To seal the deal, she gently stuck her tongue in his ear and swirled it around. Taking a slurp of his ear lobe, she finally released it with her teeth. “Don’t keep me waiting.” She cut her eyes back at Jamie scanning her up and down, dumbfounded as to why he was leaving the club with her instead.

  Jamie Lynn pushed past the scarlet woman jetting out to her car that was parked directly across the street. “I don’t have time to deal with thirsty women. I definitely didn’t come out here to be disrespected.”

  Distracted by his ear action, Lance almost missed her breaking away. “Jamie, wait up.” He quickly followed her out onto the sidewalk hoping to stop her. “Wait up, please. I don’t know that woman.” Lance softened his tone.

  “Well it sure looked like you did.” Lance reached out and grabbed her wrist. Jamie jerked back and stopped in her tracks to hear what
he had to say and to avoid any further attention brought to their conversation. “Now, I am not your girl and you don’t even know me at all. But I refuse to be disrespected. If that is your lady, I apologize for being in her way.” She folded her arms and looked away in frustration. A few of the bar patrons who noticed the commotion observed the exchange.

  “It’s not like that.” He took the napkin that was still in his hand, tore it into small pieces, and dropped it right on the sidewalk where they were standing. “I don’t know that woman, I just met her tonight and I guess she thought she had to go above and beyond for her tip. She only did all that to make you jealous because she knows that she is ugly.” Lance smiled and nudged her arm, trying to make a joke out of the situation. Jamie stayed stone-faced still awaiting his explanation as to why she should proceed with an evening with him. “Tell me this, Queen. Why did you come down here?” Lance made sure to use the upmost respect when he was in the company of intelligent women. In addition, he knew that he was in a tight space. His mama made sure to school him on how to woo a lady.