The Finale Page 7

  As he got closer, he saw it was Dayvid, Malek’s little man. “Bingo!” he said, knowing he got a consolation prize by locating Dayvid.

  Dayvid saw the car speeding toward him. “Fuck!” He instantly began to put on his best Carl Lewis impersonation and took off full speed.

  Fuller quickly whipped behind him and hit him, causing him to fly up in the air and onto the windshield. Fuller stopped, and Dayvid rolled off the car and hit the ground with the bag still in his hands.

  Dayvid winced in pain from the extreme back pains the collision caused. “Fuck!” he said as he lay on the ground holding his back.

  “Don’t move!” Fuller yelled, his gun drawn and pointed directly at Dayvid’s head. He snatched the bag and tossed it on the hood of his car. He then flipped Dayvid around and placed handcuffs on him just before patting him down to make sure he didn’t have any weapons.

  Fuller then stood up and caught his breath. He peeked into the bag and saw nothing but rubber-banded money. “Damn, y’all over there getting it, huh?” he said.

  “Fuck you, pig!” Dayvid yelled, showcasing his deep hatred for police.

  Fuller chuckled at Dayvid’s remark and then gave him a swift kick to the mouth, causing blood to spurt from it instantly.

  “I know you. You’re Dayvid Porter, right?’ Fuller said, already knowing who Dayvid was because he had the whole rundown on Malek’s crew. “Where is Malek?” Fuller bent down on one knee and grabbed Dayvid by the back of his neck.

  Dayvid ran his tongue across his bloody teeth. “I don’t know a Malek.”

  “Oh, so you want to play games with me?” Fuller nodded his head up and down, getting angrier by the second. He quickly bashed Dayvid’s head into the cement, causing a bloody gash to form on his forehead.

  Dayvid grimaced in pain, but shortly after, he began to smile, knowing he was getting under Fuller’s skin by not giving up Malek’s whereabouts.

  “You can give your man up and tell me where he is, or go down to the station. It’s all on you!” Fuller yelled as he began to grip tighter around the back of Dayvid’s neck.

  “I ain’t telling you shit!” Dayvid spat out more blood.

  Fuller had had enough and realized that Dayvid was loyal to Malek. “We will see how loyal you are.” He yanked Dayvid off the ground and stuffed him into the back seat. They were about to take a little ride down to the station.

  Fuller had Dayvid in a chair in the middle of the interrogation room of the police precinct. “You’re looking at three to five, Dayvid.” He rested both of his hands on the cold steel table. “You were maintaining a drug house, and I found thirty grand in your possession.”

  Fuller was itching to get Malek in the worst way, but Dayvid wasn’t budging. He had a clean record, and he knew that he would only get a slap on a wrist for what Fuller was trying to pin him with.

  Fuller continued to circle around the youngster. “Just give Malek up, and you can go scot-free. I will forget about what I found on you, and it would be as if you were never there.”

  “I don’t know a Malek.” Dayvid grinned. He would never in a million years cross his big homie. Never. He began to block out all Fuller was saying and began to think back to the first time he’d met Malek.

  Dayvid sat sunken low in the tinted Grand Am, watching Malek closely. “I’m about to take all of that shit,” he whispered to himself as he gripped the all-black .357 handgun. He had a ski mask rolled on the top of his head and was waiting for the right moment to ambush Malek.

  Dayvid had been following him for days, and he was waiting until Malek led him straight to his home, because Dayvid thought that was where he most likely kept his stash. Dayvid needed that money in the worst way. The city was dry, and he was hungry. He had been watching Malek closely and knew he was an out-of-towner that came to B-more moving coke.

  Dayvid had trailed Malek as he stopped at five different crack houses. It was the first of the month, so he knew Malek was picking up his trap from his spots. In Dayvid’s eyes, that day was the perfect day to rob him.

  The sun was just setting as Dayvid followed Malek to a nice-sized brick house.

  “This must be where the nigga stay,” Dayvid said to himself, as he witnessed Malek pull into the driveway and hop out of his car with the duffel bag in hand.

  Dayvid was parked about a half a block down, but he still had a clear view of Malek getting out of the car. He made sure his gun was locked and loaded and got out of his car as soon as he saw Malek enter the home. There were no more cars in the driveway or on the curb, so he assumed Malek was there alone.

  “He must be about to go count or stash the money inside,” Dayvid said as he crept to the back of the house.

  Dayvid’s young mind didn’t think logically, and he didn’t care what he was getting himself into. He just knew Malek was getting money, and he wanted a piece of it.

  He crept to the back, where there was a swimming pool and a glass patio. He quickly dipped into the back patio and saw the sliding double doors that led into the home. He slowly approached the double doors and glanced into the home, to see if the coast was clear.

  After a few seconds of observing, Dayvid pulled out a lockpick, but when he gently slid the door, he noticed it was unlocked. Hell yeah, he thought to himself. It was his lucky day, and everything was going perfect.

  He slowly stepped around the kitchen’s porcelain counter and heard the sound of a money counter purring. Malek had to be dealing with big paper, a stickup kid’s dream. He smiled as he pulled down his ski mask, thinking about how much paper he was about to get.

  Dayvid crept to the room with his gun in hand. He saw Malek at the table with his back turned toward him, putting the money in rubber bands as it came out of the machine. He slowly and carefully snuck up behind Malek, his gun pointed directly at Malek’s head.

  The money machine stopped, and the room grew quiet as Malek paused.

  Without even turning around to face Dayvid, Malek said without an ounce of fear in his heart or shakiness in his voice, “I was wondering what was taking you so long.”

  What the fuck? Dayvid thought to himself. He wondered how Malek knew he was sneaking up behind him. “Come up off all of that dough, homeboy,” he yelled, his hand shaking nervously.

  “You sure you want to do this, young nigga?” Malek carefully swung around in his chair, so he could look the young robber in his eyes.

  “Fuck all the talking, nigga! Put the money in the bag!” Dayvid said, avoiding eye contact with Malek.

  “Look, you have two choices. You can rob me of this money and then deal with the consequences of taking money from a nigga like me.” Malek folded his hands together. “Or you can put that gun down, and I will give you a job. I will let you work for me and show you how to get money rather than take it.

  “One thing about robbing, once your stolen money is gone, you’re right back to square one and broke again. But if you learn how to get money, you will never be broke.” Malek looked the youngster straight in the eye and recognized the fear within them.

  Malek’s logic made a lot of sense to Dayvid, who wanted to get out of the robbing business desperately and get into the hustle game. He had always fantasized about moving up in the ranks and becoming a kingpin, so Malek’s offer was very tempting. But the possibility of Malek just talking to get out of the situation had him hesitant.

  “How do I know if I put the gun down, you won’t try to kill me?”

  “You are just going to have to trust me.”

  Malek spoke with a supreme calmness that had Dayvid petrified. All of Dayvid’s instincts told him to just rob Malek and turn down the offer, but his heart told him otherwise. He used his free hand to pull his ski mask to the top of his head, and then he lowered his gun.

  Malek instantly knew he had accepted his offer. “Good choice, youngblood.” He turned around and began to rubber-band the money.

  Dayvid stood there confused, as he didn’t know what to do next.

  Malek f
inally spoke up after a few seconds of silence. “Believe me, you made the right choice,” he said. “I want you to take a look behind you.”

  Dayvid frowned his face up, not knowing what Malek was getting to. Dayvid did as he was told, and when he turned around, his heart almost dropped to the floor. There was a man standing there with a Mossberg pump aimed directly at his chest. Dayvid flinched as he looked down at the steel that was now pressed against his chest.

  “I knew you were coming. I saw you from a mile away. If you had tried to rob me, karma would have come instantly, and my man would’ve blown your brains out. But I respect your bravery, and I’ma keep my word.” Malek pulled out the chair from underneath the table for Dayvid. “Have a seat.”

  The man holding the shotgun lowered his weapon, and Dayvid joined Malek at the table. That was the beginning of a relationship that would become closer than close. Since that day, Malek and Dayvid had become inseparable, and Malek showed his youngster how to get to the monster, molding him to be Baltimore’s next kingpin.

  Dayvid snapped out of his dream and focused on the present.

  Fuller was right in his face with an intense stare. “So what’s it going to be? The ball is in your court.” He waited for a response from the young Dayvid.

  “Suck my dick!” Dayvid calmly said, looking through Fuller as if he weren’t even there. Dayvid wasn’t going to roll on his man.

  Fuller became enraged, knowing that Dayvid was young and also that as a first-time offender, would get just a slap on the wrist, and that only infuriated him even more. He gave Dayvid a swift jab to the eye, for good measure, and stormed out of the room.

  Dayvid took the punch like a man, and after the stars wore off, he thought about what Malek had taught him: stay loyal, which was exactly what he’d just done.

  Within twenty-four hours, Malek was waiting for Dayvid outside of the jailhouse in a tinted car. He had sent his attorney in to bail Dayvid out, and just like that, he was on the streets again.

  Malek’s attorney had discovered that Fuller had raided the house without a warrant, so all the paraphernalia and evidence was inadmissible. Malek would just move his spot and would be open for business by the end of the day. Scar had his work cut out for him because Malek wasn’t an amateur.

  “What’s up, kid?” Malek said as Dayvid entered the car along with one of Malek’s workers that he’d sent in for him. A smiling Malek blew his horn at the attorney, who was getting into his vehicle across the parking lot. He knew he had outwitted Scar.

  “What up, Malek? I’m glad to be out of that stink-hole.” Dayvid got comfortable in the front seat and leaned back.

  “Yeah. Tell me about it.” Malek then reached over and playfully smacked Dayvid on the head. “You did good, you did good,” and with that, he pulled off smiling.

  Malek had his own little plan for Scar. It was obvious the man didn’t know how he got down, and Malek fully planned on showing him.

  Chapter Eleven

  As Halleigh watched Malek sleep, she cried. There was no way she could stay in his life. After everything, their end had finally come. She leaned down and kissed his lips. He was a heavy sleeper, so he didn’t stir.

  “I love you, Malek,” she said as she arose from their bed. She couldn’t stop staring at him. Even though she knew she could never forget one detail about him, she wanted to burn his image in her brain because this was the last time she would ever see him again. She had to put distance between them. She had become a liability and was doing what was best for everyone involved by disappearing.

  If Rodriguez knew she planned on skipping town, the shit would hit the fan, but by the time anyone realized she was gone, it would be too late. All she had to do was make sure that no one saw her leave and that she wasn’t followed.

  She pulled a suitcase from the closet, moving as quietly as possible, and began to pack some of her things. She didn’t need much. A few clothes would do. She then went into Malek’s petty cash stash and clipped five Gs from it. She had never stolen a thing from him in her life, but she needed this. Five thousand dollars was going to buy her a way out of town and hopefully be enough for her to start a new life.

  She went into her son’s nursery and checked on him. The last thing she wanted was to walk out of her baby’s life, but she couldn’t take him with her. She just hoped that one day he would understand, that both her child and Malek would understand. She kissed her fingers and placed them on his forehead then left the room.

  She penned a note before she left because she would be ceasing all forms of communication. She didn’t even want to take her cell phone with her because she knew she could be tracked down if she did.

  Dear Malek,

  I love you and have always loved you. I know that I always will, and because I love you so much, I have to leave you. I know you will never understand why I am doing this, but I need you to trust me the same way I have always trusted you. I’m doing this for our family because, even though we all won’t be together, it is the only way to keep all of us safe. Don’t forget about me, Malek, and please don’t let our son. Tell him every day that I love him. Tell yourself that every day. I will always be thinking about you. I will never move on, and I will never forget what we have.

  You were made for me, Malek. We both made a lot of mistakes over the years that caused us to stay apart. This is just one more of them, but you will always have my heart. Raise our son right, Malek. He needs you, and you can’t be there for him if you’re in the streets. I don’t want him to end up like us. I don’t want him to have to see what we’ve seen. We’ve been to hell and back. Protect him. Open your eyes, Malek, and watch those who are watching you. You are all he has. I love you.

  Always Yours,

  Halleigh

  She placed the letter on her pillow, knowing he would find it when he awoke, and then reluctantly she walked out on the people she loved the most.

  Halleigh peered out onto the street. There were always cars sitting on the block at night, but tonight they all looked suspicious. Rodriguez had said that the police would always be watching, so to be safe, Halleigh went out of the back of the building.

  Creeping like a cat through the back alley, she walked until she was on the next block and then ran until she was able to catch a cab in the early morning hours.

  “Where to?” the cab driver asked.

  “BWI,” she stated. She never looked back as the cab pulled off, afraid that if she did, she may not go through with her plan.

  Malek awoke the next day to the sound of his son crying. He was used to Halleigh waking up with him, so he wasn’t used to all of the screaming.

  “Hal? Baby girl?” he called out from underneath the sheets.

  When she didn’t respond, he sat up. She never let their son cry for too long.

  He got up and walked into their son’s nursery. “Hey, li’l man. What you crying for?” he asked as he picked him up, and his crying stopped instantly. “Where’s your mommy?”

  Malek went into their living room and saw that Halleigh wasn’t there either. She never left the house without telling him her plans, so he found her absence odd. “Hal!” he yelled, but she was nowhere to be found.

  He didn’t begin to worry until he called her cell phone and heard it ringing inside of their house. Malek followed the ringing of the phone, which led him back to their bedroom. Her phone was on the nightstand on her side of the bed, and as he sat down, he noticed the letter she left behind.

  With his son in his arms, he picked up the note and read it. Malek had never been an emotional young man. His mentor, Jamaica Joe, had hardened him long ago, but reading the good-bye letter that Halleigh had left for him broke him down. Tears accumulated in his eyes as he gripped his son tight. He wasn’t ashamed to cry.

  Losing a woman like Halleigh would break any man. He loved her endlessly, unconditionally, and couldn’t believe this was happening. His heart felt broken. He had never felt this much pain. When they had been separated before, i
t didn’t hurt this bad because other people had kept them away from one another in the past. This time Halleigh had chosen to leave him.

  She left me, Malek thought in anguish. He didn’t understand.

  For so long they had fought to be with each other, and now she had packed her bags and given up on them. He couldn’t help but feel like this was his fault. He had made a lot of bad decisions, and he hadn’t kept her safe over the years. He thought maybe she was beginning to regret all of the heartache she had suffered just to be his girl.

  She ain’t the only one who gave up something for us to be together, he thought.

  Malek remembered his dreams of being a hoop star. They had been completely realistic until that fateful night so many years ago had changed the game plan for them both. The night Halleigh was raped had changed the course of their lives forever, and because he loved her, he had given up everything to try to protect her. But through it all, he never blamed her. He simply let go of the past and focused on what he had, which was Halleigh, instead of what he could have had.

  A knock at the door caused Malek to gain hope. Maybe Halleigh has come back. He stood and raced to the door, practically snatching it off the hinges as he opened it. Disappointment filled him when he saw Detective Rodriguez.

  “Now is not a good time, detective,” he said.

  “Well, then I won’t take up much of it. I came to return Halleigh’s vehicle. We located it on the south end of town. Whoever mugged her left it in an abandoned parking lot,” Rodriguez said as she held out the keys for Malek. “Is Halleigh home? I would like to speak with her for a minute.”

  “Halleigh’s not here.”

  “Is there a better time for me to stop back?” Rodriguez pushed. Where the hell did she go? I had a car sitting on the building all night, she thought angrily. She had a gut feeling that Halleigh had run, and she was infuriated.