Altered Destiny: A Hustler's Choice Read online

  “Aw, naw, 5-0’s not going to do nothing man. We got to take stuff into our own hands. 5-0 is on Mill’s side.”

  “Yea, I’m down with that. So what we gonna do?” Flip asked.

  Flip was another close friend of Bills’ who had stopped by to be with his friend after the funeral. Bill could always count on him when he needed to get something done.

  “Put a bullet in him,” Bill said. “What he did today was disrespectful. I wanted to kill him right there.”

  “I know,” Flip said.

  “We gonna take him out. That I promise! Are you in Mike?” Bill looked at Michael waiting for any answer

  “What? No…not…me!” Michael said as he passed the blunt to Flip.

  “Punk!”

  “Look, you did not see what I saw and you know you can’t mess with Mill. There are lookouts everywhere and they will stop you before you make your move.”

  “I don’t…no they won’t. I got this. We are going to do it. It’s time he goes.”

  Since they were high and drunk Sasha did not take what they said seriously. She tipped toed to her room remembering the conversation. She was not going to say a word to anyone. She knew her cousin Bill was usually all talk, especially when he was drunk or high. She did not care about what he was saying. So, she left it alone.

  “Sasha, where you at?” Patricia asked.

  “Right here.”

  “Well, come on child, go outside. Stacey’s here.” Stacey was her best friend, someone who always could put a smile on her face.

  Sasha perked up a little bit and ran down the stairs forgetting what her cousin Bill had said.

  * * *

  “Yes?” Sasha asked answering the door.

  “Hi! Is Patricia Miller home?” the officer asked, as he looked up from the piece of paper he was reading from.

  “Yes, what do you want?” she asked angrily.

  “We’d like to speak to her. Would you be a darling and go and get her please?”

  Sasha sighed. “Grandma, it’s for you.”

  Patricia came walking in with a dishtowel in her hand. She had been cooking. “I’m coming child and stop…” Patricia stopped as she saw the officers at the door. She knew why they were there.

  “Ma’am, we hate to inform you, but…”

  Before the officer could finish his sentence she fainted.

  “Grandma!”

  The officers rushed to Patricia’s side. “Go and get a warm cloth.” One of the officers said to Sasha.

  She ran to get the cloth. When she returned she gave it to the officer. He placed it on Patricia’s face and after a few minutes she came to.

  “Ma’am, are you ok? Should we call an ambulance?” They helped her up and took her to the sofa in the living room.

  “Please, please no more bad news,” Patricia said.

  The officers looked at each other and one began to speak. “Ma’am, I’m sorry to have to tell you this, but we found your nephew.”

  Sasha stood off in the doorway listening.

  “There was a car in an alley. Someone came in a few days ago and gave us some information that a body was in a car. We went to check it out and sure enough there was a body.”

  Patricia began to rock back and fourth as she listened.

  “We couldn’t identify the body right away because he was burned badly and shot in the head, but there was identification on him and…well…it was your nephew. I’m sorry Ma’am, but he’s dead.”

  Patricia stayed calm and looked at the officers. For weeks she had been looking for Bill. He had not come home one night. She knew then that something was wrong. Bill was always home at a certain time, and if he were going to be late he would call to let her know. This time she had not heard from him and she began to worry. She searched around, asked everyone she knew, and went to the police station to file a missing person’s report, but no one knew where he was. No one had answers. The police couldn’t or wouldn’t help. She was angry. “If you officers weren’t so corrupt my kids would be alive today. You two have blood on your hands. May God have mercy on your souls. You’re working for the devil.” Patricia cried out deeply as Sasha stood in shock while tears filled her eyes.

  The officers started to leave, but before they did Sasha looked at them with sad eyes. Their hearts were troubled by the look she gave.

  “You’ve taken so many lives and you’ll pay for it. Don’t think that God has not seen what you’ve done. You shall reap what you sow. Your day will come when you face God and answer for what you have done here on earth,” Patricia said.

  The officers quickly left the house. For once their conscious were bothering them. As they left, Sasha ran straight into her grandmother’s arms. They cried together. They cried out for Bill.

  Bill was like a son to Patricia. She took him in when he was a young boy. His mother was on drugs and could not take care of him. Patricia became his guardian. He was the son she always wanted. Now, he was gone.

  “I can’t take this. Death has hit our family. Oh, God, give me strength. Give me strength.”

  “Grandma. He did it! He did it! I didn’t think he would. It’s all my fault. I should have said something. I should have—”

  Patricia interrupted her. “Child, what are you talking about?”

  “He said he would get Mill, but I thought he was all talk. If I had said something and stopped him, he would be alive. It’s my fault.”

  “No, child, it’s not your fault. It’s not your fault.”

  “It is! It is! It is!”

  Patricia rocked Sasha in her arms until neither could cry anymore.

  * * *

  “He asked me for his help and I said no. At first I just thought it was all talk since we were high that day after Marlena’s funeral, but they approached me again. I wasn’t going to go anywhere near Mill. Try to take him down…please no one can. He has too much power. And Bill thought he could take him.” Michael was once again at Patricia’s house explaining what he heard and knew about Bills death.

  Patricia sat on the sofa listening to Michael. She was not crying. She was holding up very well. She had sent Sasha outside because she did not want Sasha to hear what Michael had to say. Sasha on the other hand was outside the opened window listening in, ease dropping on their conversation.

  “After Marlena’s death he just took it hard. He said if 5-0 wasn’t going to do anything then he would do it himself. I knew that if anyone tried to mess with Mill they would be six feet under the next day.”

  “So what happened?”

  “Well, his plan was to go to Mill’s place and kill him. He said I’m going to kill him. So Bill and Flip started to make plans. They wanted to catch him off guard. He found out where Mill was staying through sources. Then he staked it out and got everything together. The next time I saw him I warned him again not to do it. Once again he tried to get me to help. I couldn’t do it and Bill cursed me out. He said I wasn’t a good friend. He said I was chicken. Then, next thing I know, I hear from those on the streets that they went through the door and almost got to Mill. Well, Mill had lookouts and they came through the door. They killed the both of them. Mill did catch a bullet in his leg, but they got it worse.” Michael paused and thought for a moment still in shock at what had happened. “I tried to stop him, but when he sets his mind to something, he does it.” Michael took a sip of the lemonade that Patricia had prepared for the guest that stopped by after hearing of Bill’s death.

  “Well, that’s Bill for you, always completing what he sets his mind to.” Patricia smiled a sad smile.

  “Yeah…and Flip. I don’t know why he did it. Maybe because he thought he could get in the game and get millions too. I don’t know,” Michael said, shaking his head.

  “I have to go and see how his mother is doing.”

  “She’s in the hospital. She went in after she heard about Flip.”

  “My God. Then I need to go and see her.”

  Michael sipped some more of his lemonade. “
Bill was a good guy. I’m going to miss him. You know, Mill is just ruthless. He killed Bill the same way he killed Marlena. He just burned him, shot him up, and placed him in a trunk of a car. Mill definitely needs to be stopped. He’s like the devil himself. No one can take him on especially when everyone and I do mean everyone’s got his back.”

  Sasha had tears streaming down her face. She was loosing people she loved dearly.

  “Ma’am, once again I am sorry. I hate having to bring you news like this. If you and your family need anything…anything at all please don’t hesitate to call. I will be there when you call,” Michael said, grabbing Patricia’s hand and holding it tightly.

  “Thank you, Michael. I hope that this won’t be the last time I see you. Please stop by as often as you can.” Patricia got up and gave him a hug.

  “Will do, ma’am.”

  Michael headed out the front door, but before he went down the stairs he stopped. Sasha was sitting on the railing of the stairs near the window that was open. His heart just dropped. He quickly went to her. He patted her on her head. “I am sorry, Sasha. I know you loved him a lot. Now, if I can do anything for you, call me. You’re definitely like a little sister to me.” He smiled. “I’ll be there whenever you call me. Ok?”

  She nodded her head happily because someone she knew would still be there, but those were empty promises. A few months later Michael left and joined the military never returning back to Brooklyn.

  As Sasha made her way to her grandmother, she stopped in the doorway. Her grandmother was on her knees praying. Patricia was crying out to God.

  “God, I’ve lost so much, my husband, my child, and my nephew. God help me. Please help us.” She cried out. “I’m going to trust you God to get us through it. I’m going to lean on you and your Word. I’m going to do what Proverbs 3:5-6 says, to trust in you Lord with all my heart and not depend on my own understanding. I will acknowledge you and let you direct my path.”

  Sasha became angry. How could she pray to a God that took her mother and cousin away? How could she trust in a God that brought so much sorrow and pain? Sasha became bitter towards God. Instead of doing what her grandmother taught her, she turned away.

  I hate you God! She said to herself while running upstairs to cry. You took away everyone I loved. Why did you allow all this to happen to us? Why?

  * * *

  Since the death of Marlena and Bill, Mill and his crew had spread around the hood more fear. Mill had even bragged that he killed them both. He was bold and fearless. No one crossed him nor did they try to play him. The cops did nothing to stop him, so he continued to wreak havoc in the hood. He had taken two lives that meant the world to people and that made him feel powerful and much more dangerous than before.

  Patricia was distraught. She had lost her husband years before, Marlena, and, now Bill, but because she trusted God she did not go crazy. She leaned on Him and His word. Sasha took it the worst. With her mother and now cousin Bill dead, Sasha was feeling really awful, miserable, and guilty. She loved her cousin Bill and felt that his death was her fault. Over and over again she cried to herself and thought that she should have mentioned it to someone. Maybe, just maybe, he could have been stopped and his life would have been saved. This haunted Sasha and made her very sullen, confused, and angry.

  Sasha felt very alone. All she had left was her grandmother. Sasha took the deaths really hard and it changed her forever. She wanted everything to go back to what it was before, but that would be impossible. Now, she really clung to her grandmother. Her grandmother took care of her the best way she knew how. Her grandmother nurtured her and cared for her until she could not any longer.

  After years of heartache, pain, and old age, Patricia died. Sasha was only thirteen years old. She was then forced to stay with relatives she did not like. There she became worse. She stuck to the streets even more. A year after her grandmother died she turned further and further away from good. She started hanging with the wrong crowd. She hung out on the streets more. She started doing things on the streets just like her mother had. She would listen to no one. She went from a good girl to a hard woman. Her future would never be the same or what it was suppose to be.

  Chapter 4

  I loved walking through my neighborhood in Brooklyn sporting

  the latest clothes. I was always fashionable and I loved it when all eyes were on me. Seeing myself walking the streets on the screen made me extremely sad because I wondered if I would ever return there. I wondered if I would see my neighborhood again or even Brooklyn again.

  My neighborhood was your typical neighborhood. It had its run down buildings, drug addicts on the streets, and all types of crime. But, it was home. Walking through the streets you would see everyone and their momma. Guys catcalled the girls. Girls walked by thinking they looked cute. Momma’s hung out the window calling their kids to come in because it was getting late. It was cool. It was home. Everyone would be out either playing ball, rolling dice, laughing, playing double dutch, and just having fun. That’s what I enjoyed. Yes, there were drug dealers on the corners, shootout outs every night, and your ordinary neighborhood stuff, but no mater how bad it was, or how rough it got, I loved it. I never wanted to leave it.

  I always wanted to be on the streets because if you were not you would miss something and I was not going to miss any thing. I loved being around my friends just laughing and talking the breeze because it took away the pain that was inside of me. The streets, my neighborhood, and Brooklyn were the best and those were some good times.

  * * *

  “Hey girl. I really like what you got on. Where did you get it from?” Trisha asked.

  “I got it from some store,” Sasha said, as she continued walking.

  “Where? Albee Square Mall?”

  “Girl, you know I don’t tell were I get my gear. Then every little girl around here will have the same clothes I wear. Can’t have that.” Sasha smiled and continued on her way.

  Sasha now sixteen years old and never looked her age. She always looked much older. She was tall for a girl at 5’9” with a light caramel skin complexion and black brown eyes. She had pretty long straight black hair that was all hers. Her body was fit, petite, and good-looking.

  She was the prettiest thing that set foot in the neighborhood. Everyone loved her looks, style and personality. She would wear the latest fashion and would keep herself together. When the occassion called for it, she would dress sexy, too sexy for her age. She felt she had to just to get what she wanted. But, like her mother, she had a sweet trusting spirit and got along with everyone. Sasha had grown into a teenager that handled her business and took care of herself. From time-to-time she would sell drugs just to get some money. She truly was a smart girl and even at sixteen she had a great business sense. However, with little education and just wanting to be out on the streets the maximum potential she possessed was being wasted.

  To Sasha the streets looked glamorous and that was where she wanted and loved to be. She felt like she was a part of something. She loved it and it made her feel good. She would hang out late at night and get to know the local hustlers. They had become her family and those she could trust. They had her back and she had theirs.

  Hanging out all night, also, had its privileges for her. It was then that she got to know Stephen Davis and his crew. Stephen Davis was twenty-five years old and young, but very successful on the streets. He was fine and had dark skin that looked smooth like butter. He had a great complexion with the most beautiful brown eyes you’d ever seen and with a six pack and muscles that glistened in the sun. If he wanted he could be a model. He truly was fine indeed.

  Every girl wanted him. He had money, he was fashionable, and he had everything one needed to enjoy life. He was the success of the streets. He was the talk of the town. He was the most feared and the most respected. He had it all and Sasha wanted all he had to offer.

  He offered security, riches, and a good time. He had respect and notoriety, but with that
kind of status, reputation, and money came trouble. As the Notorious B.I.G. said, “Mo Money, Mo Problems,” and that was a true statement for Stephen Davis. In the streets many did not want you to move ahead. If they were not moving ahead then they did not want you to move ahead. So, they did everything possible to stop you. People in the streets were jealous when you had success. They envied you and wanted you out of the way so that they could get what you had.

  It looked good from the outside looking in, as they said the grass is greener on the other side, but for Stephen Davis the grass was not as green as they said it was. It looked like what he had was the life to live, but when you live a life he lived you had to always watch your back. He always slept in different places every night and was always on the move like a fugitive who had escaped from jail. People envied him and wanted him dead so he had to be ten steps ahead of them just to stay alive and to keep what had taken him so many years to build. He even had to be careful about who he let in his circle. Only a small amount that you could count on your hand was let into his circle. If more were let in his trusted circle it could cost him his life.

  But, no matter how bad he was or what he did for a living Sasha was after him. Everyday she would watch for him. Some days if she was lucky she could catch him in front of the Deli on Fulton and Washington in his car checking on business. She did not see him too many times, but when she did see him she would go over and make herself known.

  She would walk by the Deli wearing tight hugging clothing and the latest fashion. She made sure not to look her age, but like an older woman. She was after this man and she was doing everything possible to get him. It was a challenge, but she would get him soon, very soon.

  Sasha had a plan and she was putting it to work each and every time she saw him. Yes, he had a girl, Tanya Smith or Ms. Gold-digger, as Sasha would call her, but she did not care. She was ugly in Sasha’s eyes. She was very skinny and looked like a twig. She had no behind and was very flat in the front. She was not desirable and she always wondered what he saw in her. Obviously, he saw nothing in her because he was always seen with other women. So getting him would be a piece of cake for Sasha, but it would take some time. Soon, Ms. Gold-digger would be out of the way, so, Sasha had nothing to worry about.