Lies You Tell (DE)

42.

" It's been a week old man, I don't see no motion" Unique spat holding his gun with both hands down in front of him. " I'm starting to think you tryna set us up,"

" If I wanted to set you up I would've done it Nique, relax," Max waved him off as he paced back and forth.

" You said hitting up the club was gone make them come to us and they didn't,"

" Be patient. Dre not gone make no moves on his own he too scary. With Joseph, it's like poking a sleeping bear, you ever heard of that term before?" Max stopped, looking at Unique.

" Na," Unique said putting his gun back into his pants.

" You just gotta push Joseph a little bit and he'll come right where you want him, trust me. If nobody knows him, I do. He'll confront you himself,"

" I hope you right because if I find out you trying anything funny imma kill you too,"

Max chuckled waving him off. He was already trying something funny, Unique just didn't know it. Max was the type to throw a rock then hide his hand. He never did things directly. Max was a very calculated, manipulative, man. When he wanted things done, he'd coerce people into doing them for him.

Much like what he'd done with Joseph his whole life. Bred him into being an emotionless, desensitized, murderer and having Joseph do all his dirty deeds for him.

Max was setting Unique and his crew up for their demise. He knew they were no match for Joseph but that was all apart of the plan. Unique was competition too, and he wanted him out of the picture as well. Max wanted to be in complete control of the streets like he used to when he was in good health, but to do that he needed to get everyone out of the way first.

There were no such thing as rival crews competing for blocks back then. It was just the Black Mafia and that was it.

Max figured if he wanted them out of the way first, he could play Unique and his crew into beefing with Joseph and Dre, who he knew would take them out for him. That would be one less obstacle in his way to getting back to the top.

Then all he'd have to worry about was Joseph. Dre would be nothing without Joseph. Though Dre ran the show in front of the crowd, behind closed curtains it was Joseph that was the one that was really calling the shots. He was the brain and the muscle.

Max would've handed the business down to Joseph over Dre, but Joseph didn't want it. He had hoop dreams, dreams that Max had to crush because they weren't apart of his dreams.

Manipulating the streets is like a dangerous game of Chess. Every move needs to be calculated to win.

Just as Joseph started to doze off, his phone began to ring making him jump out of his sleep. Reaching for it, he looked at the screen.

No caller ID

Joseph furrowed his brows glancing over at the time.

12:42 am.

He watched the phone ring a few more rings before deciding to answer it.

" Yo," He said trying his best to sound awake.

" Looking for a Joseph Rodriguez,"

'Rodriguez?' Joseph thought.

" Who askin?"

" This is deputy Hanes with the NYPD, we have your son Antonio down here at the station and we want to know if you'd be able to pick him up. If not we're going to book him into the juvenile system,"

Joseph pushed his brows together. What was Antonio doing in the police department and why was he calling Joseph instead of his mom or Grace.

" Na, I can come grab him, I'll be right there," Joseph said before hanging up.