“What about Trell?” Roc asked.
“I thought about Trell as soon as I started thinking about people who would want to hurt me but what would he gain?”
Dontrell and Roc were thick as thieves for years both having their own territory that they maintained. I treated Trell like my little brother because of his relationship with Roc. During a party for Trell’s men, two cars drove past and shot up the party. At the same time, one of his stash houses was robbed. Dontrell immediately accused Roc based on the word of a low-level street thug. Trell’s crew ambushed my brother at one of his warehouses then told me to bring the money necessary to replace what they’d lost, which was close to four million dollars if I wanted to see my brother alive again.
I walked into the warehouse with the money and saw my brother tied to a chair with a black eye and a bloody lip. Junebug, one of Dontrell’s men, held a gun to Roc’s head and taunted us saying that Roc was about to lose his life. The level of rage I felt was only matched by the rage that coursed through my body when the police arrested me at my mother’s house. In the time between Trell calling me and me getting the money together with Coco, I had found out who the real hittas were. I even had video proof. It took me a minute to convince Trell, but he had no choice but to believe me, I had the proof. Roc’s guys were gearing up for war, led by Coco. She had already planned an attack on some of Trell’s houses.
I convinced both sides to stand down. I had people that I Ioved on both sides and couldn’t stand the thought of losing one of them. Trell never acknowledged any wrongdoing on his part and didn’t accept the money. He found the guys who were responsible and handled it. Trell was dead to Roc and me when we walked out of that warehouse. I hated disloyalty. He should have known that Roc didn’t have anything to do with his misfortune, but he chose to believe an outsider over family, so he lost his family.
“Trell is the type of nigga that don’t have to gain nothing. He’s just impulsive and filled with hate. If Trell did it, he would brag about it. Or at least the streets would brag. Neither has happened, so it’s not him,” Roc said.
“What’s the plan to secure you until the bastard is caught?” my father asked.
“Count has a guy that will be with me until this all blows over. He’s actually out in the car with Ray.”
“Is he trained to kill?” My father asked.
“He’s built like he is trained to kill and then feast on the corpse. Dude is gigantic,” Roc explained.
“Do they know if you were the target?”
“Yes and Xavier was hit by mistake.”
“How is Xavier?”
“He’s good. He stayed with me. Him and Ray, until the ambulance came. I will be forever grateful to them.”
“Absolutely. It’s important to surround yourself with good people,” my father said.
“True and I have.”
“I was able to meet the beautiful Ms. Patterson,” my father smiled.
“She told me she came to see you and then she kept in touch.”
“She did. She is smart and strong. She reminds me a lot of your mother.”
“Yeah, she is. The night nurse told me that she never saw Averie sleep while she was there with me. She stayed awake watching the nurses and doctors learning how to care for me herself.”
“I never saw her sleep in the hospital. We would have to convince her to leave and get rest. She worked there, took conference calls there and everything. She earned my respect,” Roc said.
“What does the future hold for you two?” my father asked.
“I want to marry her, get her pregnant a couple times and grow old with her.”
“Sounds like a solid plan.”
“So, I read over the emails I received from the parole board. You know your parole hearing is coming up soon, right?” I asked.
“I am counting down the days. I’ve spoken to Officer Huntington’s wife and son. They will both be there to speak on my behalf. I hope that and my record of good behavior will get me out of here within the next ninety days.”
“I got a spot for you too, Pop,” Roc said. “I purchased the house next to mine down in the city, so you will have everything you need.”
“Having a stable place to stay will go far with the board. Also, I have a neighborhood revitalization project that I want you to spearhead. I’m going to purchase some land in your old neighborhood and built some affordable housing. You will be able to list that as your job, giving you even more points with the parole board.”
“That’s right up my alley. Will there be space that I can rent for my counseling practice? I’ve decided that I want to counsel at-risk youth at my own practice and volunteer my counseling services down at the juvenile detention center. I want to keep as many of them out of here as possible.”
“Absolutely. Make sure you say all of that at your hearing.”