HAM (Hard As a Muthaf**ka)

Spaghetti Junction

                    “How’d you know..?”

                    “Before you woke up, you called for him,” she explained. She helped me raise up for a lil bit…long enough to take the pain meds, and take a drink of water…she then lie me back onto the bed. “Detrick and Ross them took the drugs…they split the money amongst the seven of you,”

                    “You could have taken some money,” I said.

                    “Well, I did…but I gave it to Sheryl, to cover her hospital bills and stuff,” said Corliss. Once again, she had that look on her face- that she couldn’t read me to see how I was gonna respond. I took her hand…a smile warmed across her face.

                    “That was really nice Corliss,” I said.

                    She gave a wry smile, then lowered her head. “Um…Jacoby?”

                    “Yeah?”

                    “I need to know something…are you angry with me, because I didn’t listen? I just feel so bad, because I didn’t listen, and I ended up shootin you- I didn’t mean it, I was squeezin on the trigger coz Quint was blockin me..! I know that doesn’t sound like a legitimate, viable excuse, but it’s the truth!” Corliss confessed. She paused for a minute…tears dropped from her eyes. “I’m so sorry, baby…please forgive me,”

                    I extended my hand, liftin her head and then wipin her eyes. My thumb rested on her soft cheek, as she looked to me.

                    “There is nothing to forgive,” I said. “If it weren’t for you, Quint would’ve gotten that gun and murked my ass. You got him to focus is anger on you, so he didn’t see me until I put the gun upside his head. So in retrospect- you saved my life…I’m not mad with you,”

                    “Thank you, baby,” she squeaked, as she smiled her usual smile- showing her pearly whites. She then leaned over the bed and planted a kiss on my lips. “I’m gonna listen to you, and go get some rest. I’ll be back tomorrow to check up on you,”

                    She grabbed her purse, and bags and left the room. I looked up at the ceiling…then my gaze shifted to the door again, as Reagan entered the room. He had that goofy smile on his face as usual. “Sup, partner?”

                    “I feel like Donkey Kong straight whooped my ass, and left me for dead,” I groaned, as he chuckled. “So…how much money did we make out with?”

                    “A little over 2.4 mil,” answered Reagan. “Lucky for us, we caught them on a transitional night- where they had gotten in all the money from all the sales people were doin. I told everybody that we had to lay low for a while- no splurging on expensive stuff…the AJC said the police are treating it as a drug/turf war,”

                    “Is anyone sayin anything about Detective Robbins lookin for me?”

                    “Nah…Robbins wrote it off as Quint plantin himself as a mole inside Mos’s organization, so that he could kill Mos at a later time, and take over,” said Reagan. “Your lawyer said that he had you placed into protective hiding because your life had been put in jeopardy, so even if Robbins had suspicions that you were involved, he never could prove it. We killed em all,”

                    “The drugs?”

                    “I kept a lot of the weed…I let them have the crack and coke,” He said, as I laughed a little. I grunted as my wound began to hurt. “Hey…take it easy, J,”