Knock Knock Whooz There?. Marvin Griffin
to them like they have access to us."
"Oh, but y'all niggas ain't got no problem killing up a bunch of niggas, yo own people?" Religion spat.
"Y'all hol' it down, we gettin' too loud." Famous spoke up.
"Brick you can put the restaurant up for collateral and let somebody front us the work." Equal suggested.
"Put the restaurant up you talkin' 'bout my restaurant?" Brick asked in disbelief.
"Yeah an' I'll get all the admonition we need." Justice said.
I was a little relieved when I saw the direction the conversation was headed. They didn't even have the drugs. Everybody went back and forth for a minute. Right then Faith emerged from the restaurant and stole everyone's attention. She just had that type of effect on people. Besides Faith being gorgeous everyone knew she had a coveted place in Brick's life. Which is why everybody got quiet as she made her way through the door that adjoined the game room holding the cordless phone up to her ear. She walked towards Brick talking to whoever it was on the other line at the same time. The closer she got you could tell how she cased the mugs of everybody like as if to say yeah um the shit.
"Brick telephone." Faith announced. But Brick already knew it was for him. He just didn't know who it was.
"Who is it?" He asked.
"Love."
Instinctively Brick extended his hand out towards her to receive the phone.
"Tell Love I say what's up" Equal said.
"Yeah, tell my nigga to hang in there" Burden, Famous, Glory Justice, and Religion all gave a shout out in the background. Then they talked amongst themselves through the intermission, mostly about the good ole days when they used to hang out. They talked about different hoes they fucked and even sparred at times about who had the baddest girl or ride that'd grown out of style with time.
"Hey my nigga, Equal, you remember that slow as green Cougar you had?" Justice cracked a joke.
"What's up lil bro," Brick spoke in the phone.
"Wut up big bro. Who all them people is over there" Love asked and Brick commenced to name everybody one by one.
"That's Famous, Burden, Justice, Religion, Glory, and Equal."
"Equal? I thought he was locked up?" Love replied unevenly.
"He jumped yesterday. But he didn't make it here till dis morning you wanna holla at 'em?"
"Naw I'm straight. Just tell them niggas to stay out there boy 'cause this shit in here ain't nothin'." Love said. His voice drifted off into a sigh. Love just wished he was in Equal's shoes, he wanted to be free so bad. He wasn't alone. Brick wished it was him who surprised him this morning also.
It made him feel bad because he could even hear the disappointment in his little brother's voice. He was more-so disappointed himself for failing to get Love out of prison by now. But it wasn't like he hadn't tried everything, just nothing seemed to work. Not to mention how much money he spent over the years. It dawned on him that maybe he needed to take a different approach, what only God knew. But he was certainly thinking if a million dollars couldn't move this brother nothing could.
"I know what'cha can do." Love remembered. "Tell all them niggas to chip in and send me something."
For a moment or two Brick was in a place of void and he couldn't hear much-less understand. His life still haunted him at times. It was Love's voice that snapped him back to reality when he said.
"You comin' thru tomorrow?"
Brick's eyes quickly surveyed the crowd as he thought about his brother's discomfort being in prison for all those years. A light clicked on his head and suddenly he had an idea how he could free his brother and get rich at the same time. He would need a little help from Faith but he was sure he could bust his brotha out.
Brick cool veneer finally cracked, his mind raced to the finish line at the same time. He remember he did still have a connect he could holla at. He liked the name Mercenary's Crew and he definitely feigned on the anthem Boss!
"Um I'm supposed to but, if I don't make it Faith will definitely be there. Yo big brother working on something for you that might set you free."
Brick whispered. "But I'll definitely be there next week to tell you all about it. I already sent you five hundred dollars last night - same day delivery -did you get that yet?"
"Yeah, bet dat up - boy 'cause I needed it. I was just saying I needed to call and see why you haven't sent nothin'. My account was low - down to a hundred dollars. Then I checked my account last night before lock down and seen an extra five hundred. Bet dat up."
"Yeah I was gone drop a lil' more but it's been a little slow 'round here. Aye but hold on a minute Love."
Brick stood up, with the phone in his hand, and pulled Faith to the side.
"Faith my nigga look here for a minute."
As soon as Faith and Brick got to a secluded area in the game-room away from the crowd, Brick smothered the receiver in his shoulder and said, "Boss lady, what'cha thank we can do? 'cause man I'm tellin' you if we had some real money we could get Love out of prison once and for all."
Brick looked back over his shoulder the whole time he talked. He didn't want anyone to hear what he was saying. But no one was paying him any attention.
"You really want my answer?"
"Yeah boss lady - tell me." Brick cheesed.
"I'm in" Faith chided.
FOUR
Several hours later, six killers, Famous, Equal, Justice, Religion, Burden, and Glory left Brick's restaurant to meet the early day heat you normally found at the break of the day in Miami. It was twelve noon and the steamy sun set a blazed over the horizon causing milky waves to seep from the asphalt.
The partiated crew stood right outside Brick's restaurant for about five minutes or so as they tried to figure out there next move. So far everything was going according to plan. They had convinced Brick to get back in the game on a promissory note that it would pay off for all of them in the long run. Since they were confident Brick was going to deliver on his end of the bargain there was nothing else to be said. But the drugs were just one part of the scheme of things. If they intended on fulfilling on their end of the bargain they had to execute certain prongs that was stipulated in the blue print. - street hustler's manual one of which was to install fear in your competition.
Brick, Faith, and I hung behind. We watched the crude mugs of the crew as the six of them insinuated their own hybrid ideas about the task they had before them. Each facial expression told a different story. Famous just wanted fifteen minutes, Equal feigned equality, Justice acquired just that, Religion, fathom a moral association, Glory looked for anything he could glorify, and Burden simply felt like the weight of the world was on his shoulders. I had my own story too. And I was finally glad I had Brick and Faith to their selves so I could try to talk some sense in their head. I couldn't make him understand.
"Shit it's hotter than a mutha fucka out here." Justice announced.
"I know dats right, so what's up now, what we 'bout to do now?" asked Glory. He directed his question of Equal. While they talked Burden noticed a late model red Honda Accord LX pulled to the curve. He watched the vehicle with unabashed attention until he noticed a young lady wearing a pair of apple bottom blue jeans with a red apple on the right pocket and a white T-shirt that read right above her full size breast: Free Marvin. On the back of the T-shirt was two photos of the dreaded head Marvin the shirt spoke of. One before he was locked up at a Maze concert, the before and the other during his incarceration, the after. The young lady also rocked a head full of pick tails and a pair of old school blue Puma with the red stripes. But that wasn't what made Burden rise and want to get to know her better, but all that ass she had in them jeans. Burden drifted behind her walking the short length of the sidewalk.
"My nigga where the fuck you going?" Religion asked. "We ain't