Page 14 of Juke
By the time I got to Manley, shit had already cleared out. Deion stood by his car… waiting. He nodded once and motionedtoward the back entrance. The door was cracked like it got kicked in.
“Whoever did this shit didn’t waste no time,” he said. “Ran straight through this muthafucka.”
I didn’t respond. Just walked past him and stepped inside. The further I got, I saw one of my soldiers, Lil Chris, slumped on the floor with a headshot. No signs of a struggle. That let me know he was caught off guard.
Deion followed in behind me. “They took everything.”
I crouched by Chris’s body. He ain’t even see it coming.
“This wasn’t random,” I uttered.
“Nah. Somebody wanted to send a message.” Deion nodded.
I stood up slow, jaw grinding.
“Who?” he asked. “You think it was—”
“Boom.”
“So what’s the move?”
I turned to him, face void of emotion. “We let him think he got the advantage.”
“You sure?”
“I’m positive.” I said, stepping in close.
Deion nodded once. “And after that?”
I looked him dead in the eye.
“I’ma beat his ass in that ring… then I’m putting that nigga in the ground.”
Deion exhaled slow. “Bet.”
We didn’t need to say nothing else… everything was already said. Now it was time for action.
4
Cardell ‘Boom’ Marshall
I was sick of Juke thinking he was untouchable. I was gone show his ass. I knew where his stash house was on Manley, and I was gone hit that shit and anybody that was in that muthafucka. I recruited my boys. Petey, Rico and Dre to go with me. When we got there, we pulled up around back and parked. I told Rico to cut the lights, and we all filed out.
Petey kicked the back door in with one swift kick. Old ass door didn’t even stand a chance. Once inside, we noticed vacuumed sealed bags of weed in the corner and a cash box on the table, along with a few packs of coke. On the counter, a burner phone sat on a charger. Dre started grabbing the dope while Rico hit the cash. I turned quickly when I heard movement behind me. Without hesitation, I let off one shot, hitting him in the head. He didn’t even see the shit coming, dropping him instantly.
“We need to get the fuck outta here,” I ordered.
By the time we pulled off, the entire stash was in our bags. Since Juke wanted to act like I wasn’t shit, let him get this shitback in blood. I left the scene and went straight home, where I had to hear Nessa’s mouth. She always had some shit to say, especially about that nigga. Fuck Juke.
“You need to let that shit go, Cardell.” Her voice cut sharp through the air, same tone she used when we were kids, like she was the oldest and not the other way around.
“Didn’t I tell you not to call me that shit?”
“Nah,” Janessa snapped. “Boom is that dumbass persona you wear around your boys that’s always getting you into dumb shit. Cardell is what Mama named you. The one with a temper, and a death wish if he keeps fuckin’ with Juke.”
“You don’t know what the fuck you talking ’bout.”
“I know enough, and people are already talking. That was you, wasn’t it?”
