Page 8

RIP COAST

“They took my big brother! How could them bitch ass LA niggas do this to my family!” Yummi cried in my arms while I hugged her while keeping her off the floor and out of Coast’s casket. She was a mess, and the shit was breaking me down, but I had to stay strong for the people around me.

“I’ma take her outside and give her some water and air. This is too much for her,” I told Yummi’s mother, Aqua.

Yummi continued to cry in agony as I walked her outside in my arms. I helped her get inside the black Rolls Royce that was chauffeuring her around for the day.

“I know you’re hurt, Yummi. We all are, but you gotta be strong out here without your big brother. You can’t be out here showing your weakness,” I demanded while she hyperventilated.

“I’m going to try to be strong, but it's hard!” She fell into my chest, and I wrapped my arms around her. She had my Versace dress shirt soaked with tears and snot, but she was mourning, so I let her rock.

“It’s hard, but after today, no more tears. We gotta get back to the bag in a couple of days, so I need you focused.” I glared at her seriously.

At that moment, there was a tap on the car window. I looked, and it was my right-hand man, Hurricane. It was always me, Hurricane, and Coast. Now it was just me and Hurricane, and shit wouldn’t ever be the same.

Coast was the mold for our trio.

“I’ll see you at the burial. But remember what I said, if I don’t see you nomo’ after today.” I stepped out and walked to Hurricane’s black-on-black bulletproof Rolls Royce truck. I had a fly whip like his, but I was riding passenger because I had been drinking since I woke up.

We rode the streets of Southwave. We were smoking a blunt and blasting Coast’s favorite Future song while he did two miles an hour in the funeral procession. I had my black fitted hat low over my face with dark Dior shades covering my pain.

It was I who found Coast bleeding to death from a shot to the chest in his condo.

It had been ten days since he been gone, and it took the feds forever to release his body.

We still hadn’t found his killer, and I hadn’t been sleeping since.

I wasn’t resting either until I found out who it was.

Coast was a good nigga, loyal to the soil, and he had the key to the plug. Now, he was gone.

We made it to the burial and put my nigga in the ground with his jewelry and ten dozen roses. As they tossed dirt on his chrome casket, Hurricane pulled me and our crew to the side.

“I just wanted to touch base as a team because once we leave this graveyard, it’s back to business. As y'all know, I’m in charge now, since I was the one that held this shit on my back with Coast since day one, and he–”

I cut off Hurricane from speaking before he got on his soapbox.

“Carried this shit on yo’ back since day one? You must not see me standing here.” I raised my eyebrow.

Hurricane chuckled. “You know what I mean, nigga.”

“Nah, I don’t know what you mean. To make shit clear, I don’t fall under you, I don’t stand behind you, and I only stand next to you. You try to lil’ nigga me, it’s gon’ be issues between brothers.”

We had a brief stare down before he spoke.

“We gon’ talk later, bro. I’m addressing our workers, and you know that.” I heard the trembling in his voice, almost causing me to laugh. He knew nothing anyone said went over my head.

Before I could respond to him, Yummi intervened.

“I don’t mean to interrupt real nigga hour.

I just wanted to say that I’ve decided to move to Starlight Hills in Colorado.

I need a fresh start where I don’t know anybody and can pursue my career as a fashion designer.

I don’t think I can stay in Sable Cove, especially Southwave, without my big brother.

” Yummi looked down at her polished black toenails in her gold YSL stilettos.

“You know you ain’t gotta do that. We talked about this yesterday. Whatever you need, I got you,” I assured her.

Yummi and I were gang. She pushed weight with me to The Shadows when everybody else was scared. It had been a couple years she had been my partner, so her leaving the city had a nigga feeling uneasy.

“Nah, I got her, and she ain’t moving. She is just emotional right now.” Hurricane pulled Yummi to his side by her waist like she was his Glock.

Hurricane knew he wasn’t supposed to be pushing up on our big homie’s baby sis.

He was ready to fuck her before his man’s was peacefully in the ground.

I saw the nervous look in her eyes, but I didn’t speak about the situation.

I wasn’t a hater and didn’t get in a grown man’s business, but I was going to keep an eye on their relationship.

I knew how Hurricane was when it came to women.

Yummi wasn’t that kind of girl. She was about her money, but she lived a soft ass life.

Hurricane toned down his ego and then laid out his plan for the first quarter of our journey without Coast. He pulled me to the side when he was done. We got in his whip and re-sparked the blunt.

“I ain’t mean nothing by that back there. You know you a top dog, and I would never treat you less than,” he spoke sincerely. I let my guard down and talked to him like the brother he was to me.

“I appreciate you clearing that up. We all we got right now, so we can’t be beefing.”

“I know. You my brotha for life, and you the only nigga I can come to about some real shit. So with that being said, I need a loan, bro. Child support on my ass, and they trying to lock me up.” He ran his hands down his face and shook his head. I saw the stress on his face.

“Damn, how much you need?”

“A million, my nigga.”

“A million? You ain’t got that?” I turned up my nose. A million in child support sounded unreal, but I rocked with his story.

“Hell nah, that’s why I’m anxious about going hard. Them six kids are breaking me.”

Niggas knew when it came to money, I had it.

Outside of the operation I ran with Hurricane and Coast, I had a few legit businesses around the city that sat my bank account at six million.

I didn’t need the underworld, but the streets were an addiction.

I told myself now that my boy was gone, I was going to focus on going legit, finding myself a woman, and having a few kids.

I was twenty-nine, rich, single, and had no kids.

It was time to take my mother's advice, and that was to get my affairs in order.

“Man, that’s a big ass loan, but if you need it, I got you. I need my shit back though.”

“I got you. I’m going to pay you every penny once my money starts flowing. Losing Coast was a big loss. We lost a lot of money taking off and lying low for ten days.”

“Yeah, we did. Like I said, I got you, but I can’t pull all that money at once. Feds will be on my ass, and I don’t need that, so give me a few days.”

“No rush and good lookin’, bruh.”

“Let’s get to this repass tho’. A nigga is hungry.” I realized I hadn’t eaten in almost twenty-four hours, and my head was spinning.

Everyone met at Ms. Aqua’s mansion on the west side of Sable Cove, where families who didn’t want to stay too close to the beach were high-class.

We were all in her big ass backyard on a hot summer night, eating good and drinking.

I finally felt some relief now that everything was over.

Yummi was heavy on my heart, though, especially after hearing she was going under Hurricane’s wing.

He didn’t even look out for her in the days leading up to burying her brother, and at the funeral.

I didn’t know where they had room to plan to be together, unless I’d missed something.

Hurricane finally left Yummi by herself. I grabbed her from the kitchen where she was packing plates to go.

“Let me talk to you outside for a minute before I leave,” I told her.

“Okay.” She gazed at her mom and then walked off with me.

We went to the side of the house, out of eyes’ reach.

“Thank you for holding me down today. I needed it.” She gazed at me with her glossy, red eyes. She looked like she hadn’t slept in days, and it was clear she had been crying nonstop.

“You ain’t gotta thank me, you gang. But let me ask you a question.” I glared at her seriously.

Yummi cleared her throat. “What’s up?”

“That nigga, Hurricane, forced you to be with him?”

She sighed. “No, this was my decision. He promised to help me out until I feel okay to move around without Coast. He promised to help me heal and protect me like bro did.”

“You in a relationship with him?” I raised my eyebrow.

“Kind of, but he’s been texting me since before my birthday on the low, trying to make plans. You left me with him when we went to listen to the will, so I don’t know about you, Mula. I didn’t take him seriously at first, but I do now.” She glared at me awkwardly.

I chuckled. “That nigga ain’t even help you out the funeral home, and you trusting him to guide you through life?”

“He was helping my momma at the funeral, and you know that, Mula. Are you saying you disapprove?” She raised her eyebrow.

“I ain’t saying nothing. What I’m about to say next, tho’, I want you to take heed to it.

You being in a relationship with that nigga demolishes the friendship we had.

I’m not about to be bumping heads with that nigga over what y'all got going on. I have too much other shit going on, so if this what you want, have at it. I don’t get into domestic shit, but if I see shit getting too out of hand, I’ma step in, and you ain’t gon’ like the way I do it. ”

“I understand, and I appreciate you looking out for me, but I’ma be okay.”

I gazed into her eyes. Something in me wanted to put my foot down and stop her from being with Hurricane, but I ain’t look at her like Hurricane did, even though I had spent a lot of time with her on some business and friendship shit.

I didn’t want to prey on her grieving process.

Being in a relationship with her because her brother was gone wasn’t the type of nigga I was.

I still was going to keep an eye on her from a distance while letting her make her own choices.

She was twenty-five years old. I had to let her do what she wanted, knowing my bro was already looking down in disgust at all of us.

“If you ever need me, don’t be scared to come to me, Yummi. Hurricane my nigga, but he ain’t untouchable if he hurts you.”

“I know you probably think I’m making a bad decision, but you’re stronger than me and Hurricane, and we need each other. Ain’t like I can be with you since you honor my brother’s wishes,” she replied softly.

“What y'all doing back here?” Hurricane said from behind us.

“Hey, baby. We were just making sure things were in place for Coast’s tombstone.” Yummi rushed to Hurricane’s side.

“Don’t lie to that nigga, Yummi. I was making sure she was straight. You in a relationship with her, knowing she off limits. Remember who sister she is. Take care of her, my nigga.” I glared at Hurricane.

“You ain’t gotta tell me to take care of her like I’m some fuck nigga.

You actin’ like you mad you ain’t get at her first. You worked with her for two years running them packs.

You had your chance in them years and ain’t take it.

Let’s go to the house, Yummi. Because my house is hers now.

” He smirked, wrapped his arms around her shoulder, and they walked off.

I ran my hands down my face and leaned against the wall. I needed a drink, a smoke, and some rest from being up for days because Yummi had me overwhelmed.

As the days and months went by, I let my guard down when it came to her relationship with Hurricane, but I peeped the bullshit he started putting her through.

After Coast’s death, nothing was the same, and working with Hurricane without my boy was enough to lay the nigga down next to our brotha…