Between the Raindrops

1) Hidden in a Basket

Between the Raindrops

April 20, 1996

New York City, NY

"Did she have the baby yet?" Markell asked Thomas, referring to his sister-in-law. He sat with his legs propped up on his desk and a Cuban cigar was attached to his lips. The rising anticipation of Cynthia having this child ate at him as the time passed by. The last time he heard from them was around midnight, it was now going on two in the morning.

"I don't know, boss," Thomas replied truthfully. "I know what you know."

His anxiousness didn't come from knowing that his first nephew would be born, but it came from him knowing that the first child that his little brother's wife birthed, would have to be killed. In a stranger's eyes, Markell's plan to kill his brother's first child was evil. But to the men in his inner circle and inside of his mind, the plan made sense. If he killed the baby at birth, he wouldn't grow to fight against him. He knew that one day his brother would try to give everything he helped earn to his nephew. Knowing Hazel the way he did, he knew that he would give everything to his son without even thinking twice about his brother.

It frightened him to think that he would come second to the man he looked up to. His whole life it had always been him and Hazel. He never did anything without his big brother and vice versa. Even as young jits, Hazel never let their age difference factor in their relationship. Markell was only twenty-three compared to Hazel's twenty-seven. Now the age didn't seem that bad, but growing up in the streets, age mattered, the maturity level mattered, and most importantly business mentality.

Markell didn't have what his brother had and that was street knowledge. He didn't understand why, though. How was it that they came from the same streets but he had no idea how everything worked as his brother did? He wasn't jealous of him at the time though, he honestly admired him.

Now things were different. Hazel had grown into a fine adult, raising the young men in the streets to be just like him. He had a perfect life, a wife, and a future family. Everything Markell didn't have. Hazel had always been everything Markell was not. Bred from the same mother and father how could they be so different? Why did Hazel grow to be so much better than him? Markell knew that his brother didn't feel like he was better than him Hazel tried to put him up on the game before he would ever choose to stunt on him. But, he just couldn't help how his mind felt about the situation. In his heart, he knew the truth, but his mind refused to believe it.

Thomas stood with his palms sweaty and feet aching from the long duration of his stand. Where is Hazel? He thought to himself. The sad truth was that he was torn between the two masters. He knew better than to slaughter the hand that fed him, but his bond was closer with Markell which made his loyalty lie with him. The two were closer in age and came up with each other in the game. But they still had one more thing in common: Hazel was their boss. Markell was over Thomas, yet Hazel was over the both of them. It was scary to think that he would sell out the man who paid him to his little brother over some jealous streak that Markell had. He didn't think that Markell was right, but he made a promise to be loyal to him so he followed his lead. If he could intervene in the situation he would, but he wouldn't go out of his way just to stop the situation.

"Fuck!" Markell shouted, slamming his hands on the wooden desk. A pen rolled off of his agenda and onto the floor, causing Thomas to jump slightly. A small handgun was attached to his hip, just in case he needed to defend himself, but he was trying to trust that Markell wouldn't do anything crazy. Like, kill you? Thomas' thoughts asked him, resounding in his head over and over until he finally shook his head. But clearly, Markell would kill his newborn nephew, so there were no limits on what he could do.