As it is with most, if not all situations like this, it didn’t start out this way. RJ and Marvin had gone to collect a gambling debt from a man named DeMarco Eason. He was an accountant who liked to shoot craps, play the ponies, and make sentimental but stupid bets on The Jets. He wasn’t good at any of them, so he owed the house and had been ducking Marvin for weeks.
DeMarco had been at The Four Kings the night before and told Marvin that he had the money and was about to give it to him when a fight broke out and Marvin rushed off. By the time things got settled down and Marvin got back to DeMarco, he was gone. So, that evening, and only since they were in the area, Marvin and RJ decided to drop by and they caught him at home.
“Surprised to see us,” Marvin said, when DeMarco jerked open the door. He pushed him back inside. “Where’s my money?”
“I don’t have it,” DeMarco said, as he regained his footing.
“What you mean, you ain’t got it. You had it last night,” Marvin said, and RJ punched him in the chest, because he didn’t want to leave any visible marks. Demarco stumbled backwards.
“I mean, I don’t have it here,” DeMarco coughed and backed up.
“Really?” Marvin looked at RJ and he shrugged his shoulders. “Really?” he asked again.
And then Marvin punched DeMarco in the chest so hard that he stumbled back against the wall in the hallway.
“I’m getting tired of this shit, DeMarco.” Marvin patted his cheek. “You say you gonna call me, and then you don’t. You say you got it, and then you fuckin’ disappear on me. Now I’m standing here in your face and you got another fuckin’ excuse.”
RJ punched DeMarco in the stomach and the blow doubled him over. Marvin stood him up straight.
“Look at me when I’m talking to you,” Marvin said.
RJ punched DeMarco in the stomach again, and once again, the blow doubled him over. Marvin stood him up straight again.
“I’m gonna ask you one more time. And if you don’t tell me what I wanna hear,” Marvin laughed. “I’m just gonna let RJ beat the fuck outta you.”
“And I’ve wanted to beat the shit outta you since I first saw you,” RJ got in his face to say.
“Where is my money?”
“In my pocket,” DeMarco said. He held up one hand and slowly reached in his pocket, pulled out the money and handed it to Marvin.
“Thank you.” Marvin patted DeMarco on the cheek and walked away.
RJ punched him in the stomach. “Should have done that when he asked you the first time,” RJ said and punched him in the stomach again. When DeMarco doubled over, RJ brought his forearm down on DeMarco’s back and it dropped him to the floor. RJ kicked him in the stomach. “Next time, don’t waste mine.”
When RJ and Marvin left the apartment and closed the door, six men got off the elevator and started toward them.
“Oh shit,” Marvin said quietly.
“What?” RJ asked.
“That’s DeMarco’s cousin, Evander and his crew,” Marvin said as they passed.
“Sup, Money Marv,” Evander said, and his crew mumbled.
“What up, Evander,” Marvin said and kept walking.
“I seen them niggas at the club,” RJ said as he and Marvin walked a little quicker to the elevator.
“Thems some treacherous niggas right there,” Marvin said, looking over his shoulder as Evander reached his cousin’s door and went inside.
RJ pushed the button for the elevator. “Shit,” he said and pushed the button again. “Come on.” But that was when DeMarco’s apartment door opened, and armed men came pouring out.
“Fuck it!” Marvin yelled and then he and RJ took off running for the stairwell.
As they ran down the stairs, two men entered the stairwell and began firing. RJ stopped on a landing, took aim as Marvin ran past him and fired twice before taking off running down the stairs again. One of his shots hit one of their pursuers and he went tumbling down the stairs, almost tripping up his partner.
When Marvin reached the next landing, he stopped, took aim and waited for his target to appear. He fired twice the second the target appeared in his sights and hit him with both shots. Then Marvin followed RJ down the remainder of the stairs and out into the lobby. They were able to make it out of the building, but they didn’t get far before Evander and the rest of his men came running out of the building blasting. RJ and Marvin were able to make it across the street and behind that car.