Part I
“Speed up Brittany, he’s right behind us!”
“I am, I am!” I yelled.
I was already doing 92 mph, which was at least 45 miles over the speed limit, and I was praying that I wouldn’t crash into anyone or anything. Going to jail was not in the cards tonight, yet that is exactly where my boyfriend D’Angelo and I were headed if we were caught.
We’d only been hanging out with other friends from around the neighborhood in a nearing park, doing what most 18 year olds do on a summer night – chilling, drinking, wilding the fuck out. We were minding our own business when a few scrubs from a rival of the hood came by. That’s when all hell broke loose.
See, I rep Tre-4 (black and orange all day) and we run this block. We run this neighborhood. If you aren’t Tre-4 then it’s really no need for you to even be over this way. But a couple of scrubs didn’t get the message. So they were handled the only way true Tre-4’s know how to handle it.
It didn’t take long after the brawl ensued for guns to come out and start lighting the block up. This happened so often, the residents in the neighborhood didn’t’ even bother to call the police anymore. They just closed their doors, stayed away from the windows, and hoped to God this wasn’t their night to meet their maker on accident.
I’d been a part of this life since I was 13. It’s all I’ve ever known. My father is a founding member, or an OG as most call him, and my brother Rio is a lieutenant, he’s got multiple sets that answer to him and shit don’t move unless he says it does. My mother on the other hand is a dope fiend and has spent most of my life either in jail or in rehab. As far as I’m concerned, fuck that bitch. If she gave a fuck about me, she would have given more of a fuck about her so that she could be here for me. She chose the base. She chose the coke. She didn’t choose me. So fuck her. I don’t visit her and I don’t want to. Most times when people ask about my mother, I usually say she’s dead, because to me, she is.
Because of my lineage in this organization, I didn’t get sexed in like some other female members. I put in work to earn my reputation, which helped to garner me the respect of my peers. I robbed a few people, set a few niggas up here and there, but my main thing was stealing cars. I can’t really remember when my fascination with automobiles began, but I learned them inside and out like the back of my hand. I wanted to learn to drive and drive fast, so the first time I broke into a car I was 11- and it was my dad’s car. He was ready to tear the city down to find out who fucked up his shit. He couldn’t believe I was the person who’d done it, so he asked me to show him.
After I’d taken the plastic cover off the steering column and stripped the battery wires, I twisted the ignition and the battery wires together. Seeing the dashboard lights come on always gave me such excitement, but that wasn’t enough. I needed the car to start, which meant I needed to spark the wires. Being mindful of the live wires, I sparked the starter wire, revved the engine, used a screwdriver to pop the steering column and I was out! Most fathers would have been appalled at their daughters for mastering the art of stealing cars. But my father wasn’t most fathers. Instead, my father was impressed.
I became the group’s most successful car thief because I was young, small and undetectable. I started making a lot of money through the gang because no way in hell was I doing that shit for free. Plus, I knew the parts of the cars I stole were being sold to chop shops, so I definitely wanted my cut. And niggas knew fucking me over, was fucking over Rio and fucking over my dad, so I got paid my fair share and some. “Tribute” as they would say. Money became something I blew on a regular because I had plenty of it. In high school, I was always the best dressed, stayed with the latest hair styles, had the nicest car of any student there and wasn’t worried about anything happening to me. It wasn’t a secret that I had Tre-4 blood, but not too many people realized I was a full-fledged member. I liked keeping the nature of membership discrete and only disclosed to those who needed to know.
Contrarily to some female gangstas, I wasn’t bothered. I studied hard because I actually liked school and I always maintained my grades. I was at the top of my class, graduating Valedictorian, and I could have gone to ivy league colleges if I wanted to, for free. I had offers from Dartmouth, Brown, and Cornell. But for what? I didn’t want to be around them boogie ass people. And I didn’t want to leave Tre-4. I never felt like we were a gang but a family. But after tonight, I wasn’t so sure how loyal to Tre-4 I could continue to be.
**2 Weeks Earlier**
“Is you leaving or what?” Deena asked half choking on the blunt she was passing to me.
“Nawl bitch. Well.. I mean… I don’t know. I mean, I know I don’t want to go to one of them boogie ass schools in the fucking cold where I don’t know anyone. But at the same time, I do want to get the fuck from around here.”
“Britt, you don’t have to go to any Ivy League school. You smart as fuck; you can go to any school you want. Don’t waste your brain round’ here. It ain’t a gawt-damn thang here. You know that. I know that.”
“Yes I know, but still… it ain’t that easy. This is all I know. Black and orange baby. No matter where I go I’m covered. Ain’t no family up there.”
Deena was my girl from way back. We grew up together. Her brother, D’Angelo, and Rio were like best friends, so we in turn became like best friends. She wasn’t a member, not formally anyway. But regardless of her feelings towards gangs, she was Tre-4 family. If you fucked with her you dealt with us and everyone knew that. She just wasn’t a fan of gang life and she wanted me out of it quick fast and in a hurry. Deena wanted to go to college, but couldn’t afford it. She was going to be enrolling in the local community college so that she could earn credits while saving up some bread. She wasn’t as smart as I was and she knew it, so she didn’t get the scholarship opportunities like I did, which is why she didn’t want me to waste mine.
“Bitch fuck Tre-4”
“Watch your mouth heffa,” I responded as I hit the blunt, “ D’Angelo will flip out if he hear you saying that shit.”
“Fuck him too, that’s your weasel ass man. I don’t know what you see in that nigga anyway, he ain’t shit. I’m surprised Rio ain’t flip out on you once he heard about ya’ll.”
“That’s because I run shit in my household. Rio don’t run shit this way”
Deena looked at me and bust out laughing. She knew I was full of shit. My brother was pissed when he found out I was dating D’Angelo and nearly almost ended his friendship with him, but soon got over it. After a while, he realized that it was better for me to be with some he knew and trusted and someone who wore the colors than for me to end up with a scrub or worse, a goody-to-shoes run-tell-dat ass nigga.
We were almost at the blunt’s roach when suddenly sirens came out of nowhere and pulled up right behind us.
“Shit, it’s 5-0!” I panicked. I had an ounce of weed in the center console, blunts wraps all over the dash, and the car smelled like straight loud. I just kept praying the cop wasn’t going to be a dick as I could see him in the rear-view about to approach my driver door. I tried to let the windows down to allow the car to air out, but it was too late.
“Can I help you officer?” I asked.
“Actually, I was coming to see if I could help you,” he said as he bent over to look inside the car.
“Excuse me?”
“I saw two females parked in an illegal parking zone and I assumed something was wrong with your vehicle. So I pulled over to see if I could lend some assistance, but judging from that peculiar stench, I’m sensing this wasn’t an emergency stop. Now I need to see your license and registration.”
“Officer, this is just a big misunderstanding,” I started pleading to try and smooth things over, “We certainly didn’t realize this was an illegal parking space. We can just move the car. No need for formalities.”
Before he responded he slid his tongue across his lips real LL Cool J like and removed his sunglasses. I looked into his eyes and was mesmerized. This nigga was fine as fuck. The way he was bending to look in the car means he had to be about 6”4. I could see his dreads in a ponytail hanging out of the hat he was wearing and he surely wasn’t one of those TV donut eating cops. He was in very good shape. You could tell his arm muscles were toned through the sleeves of his uniform. For a moment, I forgot I was supposed to be talking my way out of some shit.
Then he replied, “I’ll tell you what, show me your license and registration and then I’ll decide how formal this needs to be.”
I asked Deena to hand me my registration papers, which were in the glove compartment, all the while never taking my eyes off Mr. Officer. As Deena pulled the handle, she lightly screamed startled by the contents that fell out when she opened it.
“Awl shit!” I sighed. I was toast. The officer looked at the pistol that had fallen in Deena’s lap and looked back at me with a smirk.
“Well well well. Looks like this situation just got real formal. Imma need you to step out of the car.”
PART II
Fucking D’Angelo! He drove my car yesterday and I know he put that damn gun in there. Smoking some weed and parking illegally was one thing, but possession of a firearm was something totally different. I wasn’t sure how I was going to get out of this, but I definitely had to try. Even though I wasn’t sure which college I’d be attending or even if I was going to go, I didn’t want my shot out of here to be taken from me based off someone else’s stupidity, so I had to think and think fast.
The officer stepped back as I opened the door to step out of the car. I was wearing black jean capris that hugged my hips tightly, along with an orange and white striped blouse that was open in the back. Most female gangstas wanted to look mannish. Not me. I liked being feminine, and my girly demeanor only played to my strengths; it made me underestimated by many. The officer was taken aback when I exited the car and I knew that was my moment.
Once I was out of the car, the officer approached me and my plea began, “Sir, please know that’s not my gun. Honestly. I mean do I look like I know how to operate a gun? And you saw my friend’s surprised reaction. Clearly guns aren’t her thing either.
“Listen, I’m young and I date a lot and I just know that one of those fools I mistook for a good guy prolly put that in there.”
“Oh you mean one of your Tre-4 homies?” the officer stated cutting me off.
“Excuse me?”
“Come on now. You think I just started this beat yesterday? You don’t think I know a Tre-4 when I see one Miss Black and Orange? Turn around and place your hands on the car.”
“Officer please…”
“TURN AROUND”
“ALRIGHT DAMN! You ain’t gotta yell,” I replied aggravated as fuck. I was trying to be nice, but fuck it. This cop wasn’t going to be easy to sway, so I turned around. I looked at Deena who sat silently through it all as she should have. Sudden movements can get you killed in a traffic stop in this day and age, plus I needed her to send word to her brother that I had been knocked.
When I turned and made eye contact with Deena, I could see in the corner of my eye Mr. Officer was certainly checking out my waist, hips, and thighs before approaching me to frisk me.
“Shouldn’t a female officer be doing this? I mean weren’t you supposed to call for female backup? How I know you aren’t getting your rocks off touching on me?”
The officer patted down my legs and put his hands around my waist before saying to me very closely in my ear, “Number one, when I want to touch you to get my ‘rocks off,' you’ll know it and you’ll enjoy it.”
He then turned me around to face him, while still standing directly in front of me. He stared at me for a second and I turned my head away. It must have been God telling me to look away because as soon as I did, I saw a black Monte Carlo with an orange stripe down the side began to turn down the block. It was my brother Rio.
Deena must have sent that message and now my brother is about ready to spray this block and this cop up. All he needs is for me to give him the Tre-4 distress signal. The cop had no clue Rio was back there and would be unable to retaliate. All I gotta do is swipe the top of my face and run. At this point I was caught between a rock and a hard place. I knew my brother would instantly end this, but was I ready for Mr. Officer to die? I wasn’t sure as of yet, but before I could process my next move, the officer continued:
“Number two, you seem like a smart girl. You tell me what happens when I call for backup and then I tell them it’s two African-American females parked iIlegally with marijuana scents from the vehicle and a 9mm pistol in the glove box? How does that scenario end for you?
“You need to stop affiliating if them niggas leaving guns in your car. Get you a nice college boy or something. Maybe he’ll leave books instead of weapons.”
“Well, Mr. Officer, since you don’t know anything about me or my affiliations, I’ll stick to the assholes I know over the ones I don’t.”
He smirked.
I didn’t like his sarcastic ass joke but I did like the way he said it. He had the whitest teeth I’d ever seen so it felt like his smile lit up the street. I don’t know what came over me, but I wanted to kiss all of his Hershey’s Chocolate. He started to back away from me. Good. His fine ass did not ever need to be that close to me again. When he was far enough out of my reach he looked to me, “Either way, move your car, cut the weed and get rid of the gun. You’re free to go.”
The officer turned to walk back to his car and I just stood there. I couldn’t believe I had gotten out of that shit without so much as a ticket. I sighed a sigh of relief. I looked back at Deena and we both smiled. Right as I got ready to get in the car, I heard someone say “Oh Brittany.”
It was Mr. Officer.
“I forgot to give you your license back,” he said reproaching me and my car.
“Don’t call my name like that,” with a flirtatious grin on my face, ” Almost makes it seems like you know me.”
“Maybe, one day I will”
“Will what?”
“Will know you. And by the way, my name is Officer Pelham,” he said as he winked and walked backwards to his car, still facing me.
I rolled my eyes and turned back opening my door. I looked at Deena and wiped my eyebrows, “Whew! Bitch that was close,” I said as I sat down in the car. In that moment, Deena’s phone vibrated.
Deena look at me. “Britt, what did you do?”
“I didn’t do anythi… Oh shit!”
I forgot my brother was at the top of the block, and I just swiped my fucking brow. I knew that message was going to confirm exactly what I didn’t want it to.
“Deena what that message say?”
“It’s from Rio,” she said, “it says 10-4.”
PART III
No sooner than Deena could finish reading the message did I hear rubber burning the pavement. Rio was about to spray the block. I had to move fast; my brother wasn’t known for taking his time in a drive by. So, I hopped out quickly to the middle of the street, hauling ass towards the police car. My brother’s goon was already hanging out the window with his piece in hand. At any second he could blast and I wasn’t out running neither a car nor a bullet in these shoes. It seemed the faster I ran the closer Rio got. Out of breath and out of options, I just yelled out, “Wait!! Stop!!”
Rio saw me. By the grace of God he looked ahead and saw me. His goon pulled back inside the car at the exact moment that I got to Pelham’s car window, forcing my brother to swerve on the curb as to not hit me. Officer Pelham let his window down, completely oblivious to almost being murdered, but instantly jumped out of his car once he saw Rio nearly hit me.
“What the hell, are you ok?” He asked with his hand on my back, as I was bent over with my hands on my knees trying to catch my breath.
“Yea… I’m good,” I said, finally able to grasp for air, “I’m real good. And now you are too. Remember that… now we’re even.” I turned and walked back to my car, but I knew Officer Pelham was watching me walk away.
“What do you mean? Brittany!”
“Just know I saved your life,” I yelled back to him before opening my car door to get in. Dumb ass doesn’t even know how close he was to getting lit the fuck up, I said to myself. But Officer Pelham wasn’t a give up type. He started walking back towards my car and I sped off before he could get too close.
I looked at Deena and she held up her phone “Rio is pissed,” she affirmed. And I knew it. I knew I was going to have some explaining to do to my brother and my dad when I got home. But all I could think about was Mr. Officer. I looked in my rear view as I was driving off, seeing him standing there, knowing that would be my last time seeing Officer Pelham.
**3 Days Before**
Downstairs in the living room, the crew was gathered to decide the next lick. We called it a “Town Hall” meeting because literally every lieutenant and shot caller in Tre-4 was in my living room deciding on which moves would be made, when, where, and how. If a scrub was smart, this was be the perfect time to take us out. But of course, people ain’t that damn stupid or that damn bold. We also didn’t move like most people moved. We weren’t flashy or loud. But we were cold. You came to our crew, we would come to yours. Simple as that. Black and orange meant something around here.
I didn’t need to be in the town hall because honestly, if they weren’t talking about snatching up a whip or two, I wasn’t trying to be in it. Most people don’t have options on the work they put in. Whenever Tre-4 calls your number, you do what you’re told and no questions are asked. But there were privileges to being the boss’ daughter. If I ain’t want to, I didn’t have to. Period. Plus, my brother and I weren’t on the best of terms after the events of a couple weeks ago. He didn’t understand how I could make such a careless mistake and questioned everything I had been taught. You don’t call the goons and then change your mind and if I wasn’t his sister, he would have sprayed anyway, whether I was out there or not.
The town hall was over and noise was being made outside my window as everyone gathered together on the lawn and on the porch. Nothing too rowdy, but they were loud nonetheless. It wasn’t too uncommon for cops to just drive down the block. They knew this was a Tre-4 territory and gang activity was heavy, so it didn’t strike anyone as odd when the patrol cars crept up and down the street for about 15 mins.
I wanted to see what Deena was getting into, so I grabbed my phone to text her. I stopped in the kitchen to grab a beer out the fridge on my way outside. I know I wasn’t technically of age to be drinking, but who was gone check me? I love Coronas and my daddy kept plenty of them.
I didn’t want to be in front with these loud ass niggas, so I made my way to the back porch. Maybe if I was lucky, I could see a crack head fight in the alley to keep me entertained, so I sat on the back steps, swigged my beer and waited for Deena to respond on her whereabouts. I could see 5-0 was still creeping around the neighborhood, but this particular car was slowing and was unmarked. I walked over to the gate to get a better look. Unmarked cars in the hood usually meant a raid and if they were about to bust in, I needed to alert the crew. Before I could close the gate, I heard a voice that froze me in my tracks:
“Aren’t you too young to be drinking a Corona?”
My body tensed as soon as I heard Officer Pelham’s voice. “You stalking me now?”
“No need to stalk you Brittany. I told you, I know Tre-4 when I see it. I know your block. I know your hangouts. I know all about how ya’ll get down”
“ So why you creeping up on my people in unmarked cars and shit? You the big bad officer right? Why not come around here like regular 5-0”
“Now how would that like look if ‘5-0’, as you call me, came up to you on your Tre-4 set and did this,” yanking me closely with his arms around my waist.
Officer Pelham was right up on the gate. My back was still turned so I could feel his breath on my neck. It turned me on. I knew if I turned around to face him, I wouldn’t be able to control myself. I had never been this excited by a man in my life, not even D’Angelo, let alone one I barely knew.
Against my better judgment, I turned around to meet his gaze. I immediately wished I hadn’t. His dreads were no longer in a ponytail, but neatly flowing down his shoulder, freshly twisted and shined. His black tank top revealed the size of his arm muscles that had me wrapped up like a blanket. He wore his police badge on a chain around his neck and his black jogging pants pressed firmly against the print of mini Pelham down below.
I instantly melted in his presence and could no longer resist the urge to kiss his chocolate lips. My arms naturally hovered around his neck as I pulled myself in closer to him, or at least as close as I could with a gate in between us. A couple seconds in and I realized where I was. Pulling away, I checked my surroundings.
“Yo, I can’t be doing this. Number one I don’t even know you and number two, as you said, if my people see you they gone flip. And number three, I have a boyfriend.” I turned to walk back towards the house, knowing it’s in my best interest to get the fuck from outta this situation. But Officer Pelham was once again not easily swayed.
He kept my hand in his hand, urging me to come through the gate. My mind wanted to run. My body wanted to run to that dick and see what that be like. In these situations, I rarely listened to mind, so I obliged.
I could see he was parked on the side of the garage in the alley. He pushed me up against the garage, hands above my head and started kissing my cheek, my neck, and the cleavage of my breast. Just the smell of him made me soak my draws. His touches and kisses added fuel to an already burning fire that even the wetness in my panties could not extinguish.
As he lightly glided his hands down my breast and my stomach, he made his way to my shorts. He placed soft kisses on my exposed stomach from the halter-top I was wearing. He continued to place kisses on my thighs, inner and outer.
“Why don’t you just fuck me already and get it over with?” I couldn’t take the teasing any longer and I needed to feel him inside me.
“I just wanted you to know what it would feel like to be stopped and frisked when I want to get my rocks off,” Officer Pelham said with a grin.
I hated his smart-ass mouth and I loved it all at the same time. At that moment he opened the back door to the unmarked car. I slide inside face first lying on my stomach. As much as I wanted the dick, I needed to continue to peep my surroundings. My observant attitude didn’t last long.
Without warning I felt a mack truck enter me from behind. I was ready for him. Steadily he grinded back and forth. He reached his arms around my waist to lightly feather my clit as he stroked my inner core with his manhood. Oohs and ahhs came one after the other until I had lost all control. In a matter of minutes I was releasing everything in me in the back seat of his squad car. After feeling my release, he came too.
“Fuck, Brittany this pussy is so good,” he mumbled as he came. Nigga I know. Like he was telling me something I wasn’t aware of.
Before pulling out he kissed me down my back and smacked my ass. I laughed. I liked it that way. Rough, spontaneous, rugged, but satisfying. D’Angelo was good, but he had nothing on Officer Pelham.
As I exited the car, trying to pull my shorts up and get myself together, I saw him staring at me while standing over the door. “What are you looking at?”
“You.”
“Why is that?”
“Why you need this? Like why you in this life? I can tell you’re a smart girl with just our few encounters. Why haven’t you gotten away from this?”
“This is my family. There is no getting away from this,” I replied. Usually, my response to someone questioning my loyalty to Tre-4 would get them knocked the fuck out. But Mr. Officer was making me think. The way he looked at me. The way he touched me. Legit gig. Sexy as fuck. He was everything every nigga around here wasn’t. I had to walk away.
“Listen, Officer Pelham, this was fun. But I gotta go. This block is hot right now and so is my crib. I’m sure someone is looking for me right now.”
“I hear you mama. Just think about it. You don’t have to always be around family to still love them. Sometimes you gotta do what’s best for you. You feel me?” He rubbed my check and kissed my forehead lightly. He got in his car and pulled off towards the east side of the alley.
I checked my phone to see I had 3 messages from Deena:
10:22p- Deena: I ain’t got shit up, what you getting into?
10:40p- Deena: Bitch where you at?
11:05p- Deena: I see you. Who the fuck is that?
I responded:
11:15- Brittany: BITTTTCH you will never believe who that was OR what just went down. Remember Mr. Officer?? #DatFYAH
The moment I pressed send. I saw Deena coming out the back door. “I just texted you bitch.”
“Girl my phone died like 20 mins ago. It’s in D’Angelo car charging. Why wassup, what you say?”
My phone began to light up. It was a message from Deena. If Deena’s phone was in the car, then who the fuck was texting me… D’Angelo. I looked at my phone:
PART IV
11:17p- Deena: #DatFyah huh?
Now this nigga playin games. I mean, what I did was foul, true. But I am not for the bullshit. “Yo Deena, your brother is texting me from your phone. Bitch I THOUGHT I was texting you to tell you what happened tonight and…”
“Wait wait wait… hold up. You’re not just gone slide that by me. What you mean ‘what happened tonight’? What the hell happened?”
“Deena, I gotta straighten this shit out with D’Angelo”
“Fuck that Brittany, he can wait. What happened?”
I had no choice but to tell her that I got dicked down by Officer Pelham in the alley in the back of his unmarked squad car. Deena’s jaw was on the ground. She couldn’t believe I had even seen him again, let alone fucked him.
“So I text you to tell you about it and all the while I was texting your brother. What the fuck!” I show her the messages D’Angelo sent from her phone. Deena shook her head. She knew her brother did stupid shit, but she didn’t think he would be going through her phone. Either way, I had to come up with a way out of this. I didn’t love D’Angelo, but I wasn’t trying to end it. I got caught up in the moment and what a moment it was.
As I walked to the front of the house, I saw Rio leaning on the hood of D’Angelo’s car, along with a few Tre-4 niggas from the Southside set. When I walked up, the other niggas knew to move out of the way. Rio remained.
“Excuse me, can you move?”
“For what?” Rio let out nonchalantly.
“I’m trying to talk to my man.”
“So talk to him.”
“Rio, get the fuck outta the way, this doesn’t concern you!”
Rio rose from off the car and walked closer to me. I know he wanted to slap me. If I was a bitch off the street he would have. But I knew he wouldn’t touch me and that was my power over my brother. A power I abused quite often. Daddy always told us that no matter what we had to be one for each other. We took that to heart. So no matter how upset we were with each other, there was always a mutual love and respect.
“You need to calm your attitude down little girl,” Rio said as he was walking away headed back towards the front yard. I turned my attention to D’Angelo who was sitting in the driver seat. He had his hand on his head and he was looking the other direction. He was not happy to see me. I walked around to the passenger side of the Chevy Impala and got in.
“Why you playing games Lo?” I cut right to the chase, ‘“ You didn’t think I was gone realize you weren’t Deena?”
“Man really, I don’t give a fuck what you think.”
“Whatever D’Angelo. Just cut the bullshit out.”
“Cut the bullshit? Yo, you don’t think I saw you Britt? I saw you in the alley with some nigga with a black Charger. I saw you get in the back of his car. So who really need to cut the bullshit? You think I’m fucking stupid? Who the fuck was that in the alley Brittany?”
I paused for a second. He saw me with someone in the alley. He saw me get in the car. But that’s all he saw. Thinking on my feet I blurted out, “He’s a mark. A lick I’m scoping out,” I lied.
“What?”
“That was a brand new Dodge Charger. Thing is though dude is a cop. That’s the same cop who Rio almost popped a few weeks back. See, that’s why I didn’t want Rio to take him out because he’s an easy target. When I got in the car, I was just peeping out the mechanics.”
“So you thinking about swiping an unmarked police car? Are you stupid? They have all kinds of shit in those cars to track people and record shit. I don’t like that Britt.”
“Nawl see it’s a cop’s car, not a cop car. The cb and the lights were portable. I think that was his whip. In fact, I’m sure of it. A brand new charger? Come on bae. THINK about it?”
D’Angelo was in thought. He rubbed his chin and he looked back at me. Then he rubbed his hands together and once again looked at me. I had him eating out my hands, but it wasn’t enough. I had to make it even more legit for him to get off my back. And since I’d lied this far down, I figured I might as well go all the way with it. I continued:
“That’s what I meant by my text with #DatFyah. I was talking about the whip.”
“Why didn’t you come to the town hall and tell OG you had some shit cooking?” He asked looking at me suspiciously.
“Because this lick is just you and me bae. Just us. My daddy nor my brother need to know.”
After sitting on it for a couple minutes, D’Angelo turned to me with a smile. He was down. But he was also shady as fuck. I can’t believe he actually agreed to do a lick in the name of Tre-4 and not get the say so from Rio or my dad. Or more importantly, he was willing to hit a mark on the low. Made me wonder how many licks he had done before without the fam knowing. Either way, I had gotten out of losing my boyfriend, but gotten into watching a snake.
I gave D’Angelo a kiss and got out of the car. I started to walk towards the porch and wasn’t on the walkway good enough before D’Angelo asked, “Britt… when?”
Shit. I didn’t fucking know. But I know a Tre-4 code on a lick is a 3 day window, which means this needed to happen in the next 3 days. I raised my 3 fingers and he nodded. Where the fuck was I gone find a Dodge Charger to steal that looked like Officer Pelham’s in 3 days?
**12 Hours Earlier **
It was 8 am and I didn’t sleep well at all the night before. I had spent two days scavenging for a Dodge Charger, similar year and model that I could access to hit and run. But none of my connects came through. I was starting to think that maybe I really did have to jack that unmarked whip. Now I was good, don’t get me wrong. But I don’t think I’m that damn good to where I can sneak into a police station, pick the right squad car and be out without being noticed or caught. I had to think of something and fast.
D’Angelo had already texted me twice since 5:30 am. He was desperate for the money. As cool as he and my brother were, Rio was still lieutenant, which means he still had a higher level of money flow than D’Angelo did. A part of me wanted to tell Rio. As long as I had been in this life, loyalty was the one thing that stayed true. Yet D’Angelo was showing more and more from the moment I told him about this lick how disloyal he was to my brother. He was using Rio’s chop shop connects to plan for the drop off. He was using Rio’s name to get people in the right spots to pick up the parts as if Rio signed off on this shit. The shit began to anger me more and more, because I knew my brother. And I knew my brother would never be disloyal to a Tre-4, but of all Tre’s, he definitely wouldn’t be to D’Angelo. He would get his though. Sooner or later the flaw shit would come out.
As the day began to pass, I took a stroll near the 14th precinct. I figured Officer Pelham had to be in close proximity to the hood or else he would be out of district. 5-0 ain’t normally in my hood outta district. They came by so often, we damn near knew them by name. It was certainly strange that Officer Pelham knew exactly where our spot was, even though I had never seen him in my hood before. Then again, he knew exactly where my spot was and he had never been in MY hood before, so I guess that’s just a gift of his.
I saw the parking lot where most of the squad cars were parked. I stayed low, trying to stay no higher than the dashboard as I made my way from squad car to squad car. I finally saw where a bevy of unmarked were parked. I had a plan, but I had to make sure I chose the right Charger or else I was fucked. When I spotted the vehicle, I left a special mark on the car so I could easily identify it when I returned later that evening. I slid my way out the parking lot undetected and saw I had a missed call from my brother. I called him back.
“Rio, wassup. I’m glad you called me actually. Let me run something by you.”
**An Hour Earlier**
We walked up the precinct, D’Angelo and I. I checked the time because I knew what time the parking lot camera was going to turn, as I had timed it earlier when I was there. I had 30 mins to get in and get the fuck out without being caught. D’Angelo stayed at the gate near the bus stop. He was to send me a text if trouble was coming and blast anyone trying to take me out. Meanwhile, I needed to get back to where the unmarked vehicles were parked.
“Bitch!” I screamed once I had gotten to the back. Someone had removed the mark I set on the car to identify the one I was trying to steal. There were 3 chargers in a row and all of them looked similar. Tonight was not that night to be guessing, but I definitely couldn’t determine which was which. “Fuck!” I yelled to myself.
At this point, it was too late to turn back. So I hopped in the first one I saw, did my thing and I was out with 60 seconds to spare before the camera was going to turn back to that side of the lot. I scooped up D’Angelo and headed back towards the hood so we can drop it off at the shop.
“We going to Hurt’s?” I asked.
“Nawl, stop at the park real quick. It’s some homies up there chilling. I need to make a run real quick.”
“Nigga have you lost your mind! You want me to stop at the park in this hot ass car! What the fuck D’Angelo! No. We take this shit to the chop first then we go to the park.”
“Brittany, just do what the fuck I asked just this once.”
This nigga trying to get me locked up for real. There’s no reason we should have gone to that park. But we did. Like some dumb asses.
I park the vehicle about 3 blocks away from the park, and D’Angelo and I walked to where the homies were sitting. I saw Deena and a few other people so I chilled. Acted normal. Blunts were passed, drinks were poured, and about 30 mins in, I had forgotten that my boyfriend and I had just stolen a fucking police car.
Not long after we had been there had some rival scrubs came to break up the party. A fight ensued, in which Tre-4 was winning, but D’Angelo along with another goon decided to pull out the pistol. All you could hear were bullets coming from all sides. And not soon after the bullets, were the sirens. D’Angelo grabbed me and we ran towards the car we had just stolen.
“What the fuck are you doing fool? We can’t get away in THAT car!” I screamed at him.
“Yes the fuck we can,” D’Angelo screamed as he turned the gun he was shooting in the crowd to me. I couldn’t move. I couldn’t believe he’d pull out on me. My legs felt stiff the sirens got closer and closer.
“COME THE FUCK ON BRITTANY!” he yelled. I snapped out it and hopped in the car. I kept trying to spark the wires to start the car but it was tough knowing I had a gun pointed at me and hearing sirens coming. I was about to go down. But somehow, I managed to spark a wire and the car started. I took off, but not before a squad car managed to get behind me. And it was a fucking Dodge Charger.
I had to outrun this cop on my tail or it was a wrap. The race was on. The more I sped up, the more the cop behind me did to. Wherever I maneuvered he maneuvered. This fucker was good.
The streets in this area began to get narrow, too narrow for the speed I was approaching. Cars were parked on the sides, construction was up ahead, and this cop was on my ass. “Speed up Brittany, he’s right behind us!”
“I am, I am!” I yelled.
I was already doing 92 mph, which was at least 45 miles over the speed limit, and I was praying that I wouldn’t crash into anyone or anything. Going to jail was not in the cards tonight, yet that is exactly where D’Angelo and I were headed if we were caught.
I started to gain a little leeway on the cop ahead of me, so I made a left down Riverview Ave.
“What the fuck is you doing Brittany!”
“SHUT THE FUCK UP, I’m trying to dodge this guy!”
“No, stupid Riverview is a dead end!” D’Angelo said as I stepped as hard as I could on the breaks. We had nowhere to go. Nowhere to run. We were done. As I opened that car door to step out, I saw my future flash before my eyes. I had wasted it.
We both stepped out with our hands over our heads and I was prepared to kneel to be cuffed. But not D’Angelo. I looked over at him. He looked back at me. He mouthed, “I’m sorry” and reached for his gun. Before he could even grab it, 4 shots rang out. D’Angelo’s body dropped.
I lowered my hands and proceeded to walk around the car to see D’Angelo’s lifeless body just lying there. I could see 3 people approaching me, but I couldn’t see faces as the headlights from the cop car were blinding me. Out of nowhere I heard “ Brittany, don’t touch him.”
What the fuck?! It was Officer Pelham… with my brother Rio and my dad.
Rio walked up to where D’Angelo was lain and took out his 9. “Fucking snake,” he whispered before shooting an already dead body 3 more times.
Meanwhile, Officer Pelham walked right over to me, “You good Miss Black and Orange?”
“I’m not so sure, “ I said dazed and confused, “What… what the fuck is this?”
Officer Pelham lifted his shirt and turned to show me his back. There was a shaded diamond with a “3-4” in the middle of it. This nigga was fucking Tre-4 all along. I was stunned. My mouth was wide open and I couldn’t quite understand how I missed all the signs.
“Brittany, I knew you were OG’s daughter the moment I pulled up behind you. Why you think I let you go? And saving my life? Nawl sweetie. It was a cute jester and I appreciate it. But I had already texted Rio the moment I told you to move your car. I saw your silly ass wipe your brow. I laughed cuz it was cute and it was definitely inadvertently done. But I had already told Rio to pull back.”
“And that’s why you knew where I lived?”
“Exactly.”
"But I don’t understand, why the charade? If you was fam, you fam! You weren’t supposed to keep that from me.”
“You think my co-workers know they got Tre-4 on the team? It’s like I told you before, you can still love family and do what’s best for you. This ain’t you Britt.”
He rubbed my shoulders and planted one of his famous forehead kisses on my head. “You need to get out of here. Literally,” he said to me. I knew exactly what he meant.
Come to find out Rio knew D’Angelo was plotting against him all along. D’Angelo’s plan to use Rio’s connects got back to him in a heartbeat. Earlier in the day when I was staking out the parking lot, Rio was not too far away from the precinct meeting with Officer Pelham. He saw me leaving the precinct and saw the mark or rather note that I left on the car. I never had plans to steal it. I wanted Pelham to catch me in the act after reading the message I left on the note saying I was being forced to commit a crime and lock up D’Angelo. My entire plan was to get him out the picture for trying to play my brother. Seems like I was a part of the bigger plot.
I left with my brother and my dad, while Pelham called for backup. The scene looked like D’Angelo had stolen the car and tried to pull his firearm on a cop, in which the cop retaliated. It wouldn’t take much to convince anyone of that story. And I wasn’t sure how I was gonna face Deena. But she knew the life her brother led. Most gangstas go out the same way - in a body bag.
Epilogue
It was the day before the first day of classes. Cornell was a very nice university. The students here were friendly and not as bougie as I thought. I wasn’t ready to claim any best friends or anything, but there were a few girls I was cool with. I lived on North Campus, where most undergrads lived. Ithaca wasn’t popping like my hood, but maybe that’s what I needed.
I was starving and needed to make a few friends, so I decided to hit the pizza spot not too far from campus. I sat near the window and thought about how crazy my summer had began. My dad and my brother were happy I was out. As much as my dad loved how I felt about the fam, he wanted better for me.
As I ate my pizza, the server came over to my table with a piece of paper:
“Excuse me miss, but a gentleman asked me to give this to you.”
“To me?”
“Yes. He’s right over… well. He was right over there.”
“Oh ok. Thanks.”
I opened the orange piece of paper that had written on it in black ink: “Family is never too far away- OP”
I looked out to the window to see the back of a man’s head with dreads get in an NYPD vehicle and drive away.
