Streets

22. Big Deals Part 1

It was a chaotic evening, thunderstorms rolling in and parties thumping in clubs. Drugs being distributed and money being made and collected. The following events lead to yet another brutal murder that would establish that crime in Mob City was getting wildly out of control.

Tiggs Records
Samuel's office
5 pm

Clover was tired of the games of cat and mouse played with her father. She knew he was busy working on Benny's album so she had Marcus as an accomplice. Walking into Samuel's office the windows showed the view of the city, tall buildings and the ocean in the distance, instead of sunny skies it was dark clouds and lightning as rain began to fall. She walked to the desk, "Make sure no one comes in." She said and he nodded as he kept watch. It's only been 24 hours and they seemingly have become the best of friends. She looked through drawers, files after files until she saw something that instantly interested her, "Bingo." Sitting down at the desk she opened the thick file and saw paperwork for the Mellow Creek Asylum, with her father's signature on the bottom line, as she read the documents her blood began to boil and tears in her eyes. Standing up with the papers she walked up to Marcus, "You got plans?" He looked at her, "Nah, why wassup?" He asked and she walked past him through the doors and he followed, "We got errands to run." He followed her as she made it a mission to save her mother from a man who thinks he can rule the world.
Samuel was listening as Benny was recording his new song which he wrote about Clover. He saw dollar signs with his new protégée he liked to call him, "Yea this the one right here, I want this as his single to promote the album, I need Avion here as of now, you call him and tell him he needs to get his bitch ass on a plane. I need some hot beats if I want this album to jump off." He told his assistant, Benny finished up and walked out the booth, "Yea man, that's the one. Get the promo for this ready and we can have this out by the end of the week." Samuel said and Benny nodded in agreement, he couldn't wait. The sooner it's out for Clover to hear the better. He checked his phone and saw a text from Darnell telling him he needs to call him, "Aye I gotta make a phone call." Samuel nodded as he continued talking to the producer and Benny stepped out and called Darnell, after a few rings he answered, "Wassup D?" Darnell was sitting in his car, plotting on the moves he was making that night, "Sorry to interrupt your rise to fame but you still got obligations nigga." Benny looked down knowing he was right, "What's going on?" Darnell continued, "I need someone on the inside of this meeting tonight at the new strip club opening in the city and word on the street is one of the attendees will be ya boy Samuel. I don't know how nor care just find your ass at that meeting and let me know what's up." Benny held himself back from sucking his teeth but he still lived in the south side for the time being and there meant he followed orders, "Aight. I gotchu." Darnell hung up and Benny instantly regretted joining MCG

Luther's house
6pm

Mona finally found herself not in extreme pain or discomfort, although she did crave her usual drug of choice she was finally sober enough to face her dark reality. She wanted to go home but more than that she wanted to talk to Monica, it felt like years since she actually seen or talked to her daughter while sober, without the aggressive feen side of her coming out.
Walking down to the kitchen she took in his warm this house felt. Almost like a grandmas house, always smelled like good food and warm hugs. Stepping into the kitchen Mona saw a plate of food, steak with roasted potatoes and green beans and she couldn't help herself from sitting down and diving right in, "Nah go ahead and help yourself I wasn't gonna eat that." Luther said as he walked past her to the kitchen sink. Mona looked up at him, his back was to her but she felt like she heard that voice before, "Why am I still here? I'm fine...I can go." Luther shook his head and turned to face her, "You ain't fine, you seriously fucked up in the head and you leaving means you gonna end up dead or going to a point of no return and Monica deserves a mother." Mona looked at him, really looked at him, "What you doing with her?" She recognized him and memories began flooding back, "I'm her man if you must no. The only one taking care of her and Nzuri, seeing as how she can't rely on her own mother." Mona stood up tears running down her face, "You don't....you don't remember me?" It took her to a place where she was before crack, she was drinking every night and sleeping with any man who would pay her 20 dollars for some food, Luther was her favorite, back then she called him Lu, he was so young and full of energy and aggression. Luther didn't ever have the chance to fully look at Mona but now that she was in his face and looked like she was gaining some weight from eating regularly, he started to notice her face. He felt a strange sense of nostalgia, "Where do I know you from?" Mona walked close to him, "You...you were so young, so was I though, maybe around the same age. We were...so young Lu." His eyes widened, once a long time ago when he was around 24, he met a prostitute, he never knew her name but she was pretty. Very timid and shy but mysterious, had wise words as if she had been on earth for decades, they would spend hours together for 30 dollars until he started traveling and by the time he came back to the grove she was gone. He soon after that forgot all about her that is until now, "Only one woman ever called me that." Mona slowly began to cry more, "I tried to find you, on my says of being sober I would go to that bar on 85th and crown. I would stay there all night waiting for you but you never came back. Every month my stomach got bigger and you never came back." She looked down at her hands and he grabbed her and made her look at him, "Now you better be saying you got some other child out there....ain't no way...no. No!" Mona nodded her head, "That girl you love, that you caress like a woman that girl is your daughter." He instantly felt sick to the stomach and ran to the bathroom to vomit, Mona couldn't believe it herself and blames herself for the secrets she kept from her daughter, not realizing that her crack benders had fried her memory but she was going with what she felt would benefit herself.
Monica was hanging out with Lea, someone in her friend group that she felt like she neglected. They decided to have some drinks at the local bar in the grove just talking about life, "So you and what's his name, Luther? Y'all pretty serious huh?" Lea asked and Monica smirked, "Yea I mean..he's just so kind and sweet and he makes me feel safe." Lea sipped her drink and looked away as if she had something she wanted to say but didn't want to say it, "What?" Monica asked and Lea sighed and looked at her friend, "Girl he was your pimp, you was out here turning tricks for a profit. Then y'all suddenly fell in love? I mean he replaced his bottom bitch for you." Monica was beginning to regret telling Lea all the tea, "I mean I can't help it. He made me feel something for once in my life. And first of all don't act like I didn't see you blowing kisses to that cop outside of Glitter's the other night." Lea started to blush, she did have something going on with the detective but it was hard to explain, "I just like flirting besides he's cute." Monica pretended to be offended, "And Luther isn't?" Lea laughed as did Monica, "Yea he cute in a pimp kind of way." They laughed and sipped their drinks, unaware of the stares they were getting from across the bar.
Cinnamon was all but fed up with Monica and how high and mighty she acted, "I'm the one who got her good with Luther now she wanna act like that and he wants to throw me away like I'm old trash." She looked at her friend Trixi who was also a girl that worked for Luther, "Girl who cares, this is a business. If you slack at work you gonna get demoted period." Cinnamon rolled her eyes, of course she didn't expect Trixi to get where she was coming from l, she was content just like all the rest of them, "I came from nothing and Luther helped me out. We were best friends and suddenly she comes along and he forgets all about me." She takes a shot, her fourth one in a row and she was beginning to feel it. "If he wants to be that way fine, to hell with him, to hell with all y'all. I can make money on my own." Trixi rolled her eyes and left Cinnamon there to her own thoughts, she didn't have time to pity someone who was taking business personal.