Episode 1: Brotherly "Advice"

Set

My shorty’s been gone three months. I won’t even pretend like my mind not fucked up.

Money’s been a cool lil distraction, though. 

These little niggas been hungry. Hungry like I was when Tiny first put me on the corner. Can you imagine being nine years old, hugging the block with grown ass men? I was doing homework at school because I needed to prove myself to her by any means. Let her know her taking me in wasn’t a mistake. I never told her no, to anything. I sold whatever, killed whoever, lied, stole, worked my way up.

These niggas not as young as I was when I first started, but they just as ready to prove themselves to me. Everyone knows it was a hostile takeover, and they not trying to end up like they fallen brothers when me and mine terrorized the towers a couple months back. When Mekhi and Tre were out here, we reupped. Shit, they fronted me so much off the strength of my shorty. But it’s been a while, and it’s time to meet with them again.

I can’t lie, I’m nervous as fuck. My shorty hasn’t reached out, and I been giving her space. These last few months… a weaker muthafucka would have been yeeted up out of here permanently. I miss her like crazy, but she gotta figure it out on her own that I’m not going nowhere. At least that’s what Turk says. Shit, he got Autumn to have my godson, so maybe he knows something.

Better than Nut telling me he gone hook me up with some of Tati’s lawyer friends.

I pull into the roundabout of Tower Three and send the code to my nigga Reem. He’s Foe Dub through and through, and was one of Tiny’s top lieutenants. I honestly thought I would have had to dead him, but shit, he was right there in the towers with my brothers knocking on doors and dragging niggas out. Him and my other homie Ty were the only two of her lieutenants we didn’t have to cancel. But shit, that made sense now that I’m thinking about it. Reem and Ty were part of my original crew anyway, being in the same classes with me since we was kids.

And both being Foe Dub, they know what the Foe stands for.

Reem comes out the double doors, always checking his surroundings as he makes his way to my whip. That nigga more quiet than me, always had his head in a book in school. It be the quiet ones, though. He’s quicker to dead a nigga than I am.

He gets into my car and daps me up. “Waddup, Set.”

“Not shit. How moms?”

The only time I see this nigga smile is when we ask how his mama is, or when he’s around her. Reem’s mom is deaf, and she’s his heart. First thing he did when he got real money was get her hearing aids, even though she never wears them. She refuses to leave the Birch, too, so instead of buying a crib, he renovated one of the top floor units into they own shit.

“Still giving me hell.”

“Still cursing yo ass out with them hands huh?”

He chuckles as he takes a blunt out his pocket and lights it. “You know it.”

I pull out the Birch and start heading toward the riverwalk. “Check it. I wanted you to roll with me because as my second you gotta know how every single part moves.”

I relight my own backwood as he digests what I said. The main reason I chose Reem was because he, like Turk, got an analytical ass mind. Bro better than anyone I know under pressure, and always thinks before he acts even if it’s for a split second.

“To be honest Dub, I’m confused as to why it’s me and not Turk or Nut.”

I blow smoke away from him and shake my head. “Nah. Yeah we Foe Dub, but moving weight gone be all me, and I need muthafuckas I trust who know how shit go, and Nut and Turk never was in this shit like we were. Shit, you remember how wild shit got when we was just a crew? There’s a reason you worked yo way up. You was right there damn near running shit with Gee, which means you basically was doing everything, ‘cause I know how his ass was lazy. Why not you?”

I glance at Reem as we get off the expressway, but he still look deep in thought. 

“Do you want the job, Reem?”

“Nah, it ain’t that… just surprised. Makes sense though. What about Ty?”

I inhale deep again before putting out my wood and pulling into the warehouse. “He gone be right here with us, too, but you know he like bussin’ heads open and shit so he gone be in charge of our niggas. You gone be with me doing operational shit.”

I park next to the other cars and hold out my fist. “That cool, nigga? Didn’t know I had to run shit by yo ass.”

Reem chuckles as he daps me up with our Birch handshake. “Nah, not even. Shit, wasn’t much time to talk before we cleaned house. I been meaning to ask.”

We get out the car and walk toward the warehouse. “Well, this week we finna get our shit together and then it’s on you foreal.”

When we walk inside, it’s only Mekhi and two crates that I know are filled to the brim.

“Reem, this Mekhi Young. Mekhi, this Reem. If it’s not me it’s him.”

Mekhi nods to Reem. “Y’all crates are already on the truck in the back. JC back there will give you the rundown on how reups go, but let me holla at Set for a minute.”

Reem walks further into the warehouse and Mekhi takes a step toward me. We haven’t talked foreal since my shorty offed they mama, and him confirming the meet today, but we not homies, and my heart starts stuttering when I think about what the fuck he wants to talk to me about.

“You been alright, nigga?”

I feel my face ball up, and he cracks a smirk.

“When my sister came back home crying and saying y’all were over, I was tempted to come here and pluck yo eyes out with my pinky nails… until she calmed down enough to tell me she’s the one who ended things. So I’m asking, are you good?”

I shrug and dig into my pockets so he doesn’t see my clenched fists. “I’m straight.”

Mekhi don’t believe me, but he has enough respect for me not to call me out on it. He nods, and picks lint off his suit.

“I met a shorty in college. First time I saw her I told myself she’d be my wife. Good girl, in a sorority, debate team and shit. She was feeling me hard until one day I slipped up and she saw the other side of me. Left my ass right there, told me she couldn’t do it, be with someone like me. Said I reminded her too much of her father.”

“Is this where you tell me she changed her mind after you gave her space?”

Mekhi shakes his head and looks off, clenching his jaw. “Nah. She paid me dust. Got with some square nigga, graduated, and went on with her life. My pops got deeper into his lil habit, so after business school I started taking over The Collective anyway.”

This nigga… 

The thought of Brina moving on with her life without me… shit, I wanna double over right now. The only thing keeping me sane is telling myself she just needs time. Then this nigga, her own brother, telling me some bullshit like this?

He must see me spiraling because he continues this fucked up story. “I seen Nita last year at a wedding. All them feelings came back, and I told her she had a year to dump her nigga ‘cause I was coming for her. You, what, twenty-three? Bri’s twenty. Y’all have time to grow. Let her graduate and get her life started. You build up yo shit. And one day, life’s gonna bring y’all back when the time is right.”

I relax my hands and smirk. “Thought you said she ain’t change her mind?”

Mekhi starts grinning, but the shit don’t look friendly. “She didn’t. Nita’s real stubborn. That’s why she’s a good teacher. But shit, as a man, you lead yo woman even when y’all don’t agree... Ah, I think that’s her now.”

We hear a car pull up outside, and doors slamming, followed by a female voice. When the door opens, a woman stumbles in. She’s in a house robe, hearts pajamas, and missing one house shoe, but she’s still fine as fuck, even in wig braids. When she notices us, really Mekhi, surprise colors her face.

Right before anger.

“You… you arrogant, selfish bastard! I told you last year, and I’ll tell you again: I want nothing to do with you! We. Are. OVER!” she stomps her covered foot. “Troy’s DEA ya know? He’s gonna find me and he’s gonna take you down!”

“Troy Adams? This Troy?” Mekhi pulls the side of the crate down and reveals a nigga tied up. The loud crash jolts him awake, and he starts trying to break his restraints.

“Now, baby,” Mekhi softly says, “If you want your nigga to live, you’ll let my men escort you to my car, aight?”

“Mekhi… please…” the woman, Nita, begs, but Mekhi just shakes his head.

He takes his piece out his holster and gestures for her to go toward the back. “Go on. Daddy gotta handle business and then we can go home.”

Nita straightens and wipes the tears from her face. She starts to walk over to us, only having eyes for Mekhi. Her face is blank, and honestly, that shit’s scaring me more than anything.

She keeps walking until she’s right in front of Mekhi, and then slaps the shit out of him. I mean, that shit echoes.

“I hope you hid every knife, Mekhi Young. Because if the Feds don’t kill you, I will,” she hisses. She turns to her nigga Troy, mumbles sorry, and then lets the guards escort her to the back of the warehouse.

Reem appears next to me. “Everything’s straight.” 

Mekhi nods and turns so that he’s facing Troy. “You see, Set, I gave Nita space, let her live her life, and then once I decided she matured enough to handle me, I went back for my woman. You got it easier, since Brina’s not totally green. Just give her time.”

I fold my arms and point my head at ole dude. “Yeah? And what if she get a new nigga in the meantime?”

Mekhi licks his lips and shrugs.

Then he puts a hot one in ole boy’s forehead.

Nigga just killed a whole federal agent. What the fuck.

I don’t even flinch, but on the inside, I ain’t too proud to admit I’m freaking out. It’s one thing to have the local laws in your pocket so you get some leeway with fucking with them, but fucking the feds is a whole other ball game. And this nigga just shot one over his college shorty. In a city he’s not even from.

“Would you let some new niggas move on yo territory and set up shop? The fuck? You ain’t dumb, nigga. Don’t ask stupid questions. My men will clean up my mess. I’m finna take a sabbatical to reconnect with my wife, so if you need anything hit up JC. Be blessed.”

This nigga puts his shit away and walks toward the back whistling. Niggas come from the back and start disposing of ole boy so we bounce out to our car.

The Collective’s trucking company handles our shit, but it’s always good business for us to make sure shit’s smooth. Every reup isn’t the same amount, and for them to be so big, Mekhi and Tre usually handled most of the face to face shit.

“Did that nigga just tell you to kidnap yo girl?” Reem says as we zoom off.

“Honestly Dub, I don’t know what the fuck that crazy nigga was talking about. Smoked a whole federale over some pussy he got ten years ago.”

Reem pulls out a fat ass wood and chuckles. “I seen shorty before she got in the whip… shit, I don’t condone, but I do understand.”

I shake my head, but shit… maybe Mekhi has a point.